


Family bliss

by AniZH



Category: Victorious
Genre: F/M, Family, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-05-27 12:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6284902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniZH/pseuds/AniZH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One shot collection about Beck and Jade and the family they have together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Decision, birth and photo

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome in this one shot collection!  
> In a review to The camping trip SMC asked me in fanfiction.net if I would write a future Bade family fic and I actually had some fantasies about them and their family, so here it is. These one shots are supposed to all take place in one universe and because I'm always open to wishes/prompts, I'll already tell you how many children I want Beck and Jade to have in here. I'll let them have three girls: Melissa when they are 23 years old, Sophia when they are 28 years old and Alexis when they are 32 years , I have enough ideas to fill... eight chapters or something, some will be longer and some shorter (this actually consists of two to three one shots, depending of how you count - but most chapters will have just one one shot, I think). Also, about half of my ideas will be out of someone else's perspective, like an outside view into the family. Mainly from Tori because that's just easy to write. xD  
> What else should I mention beforehand? Oh, yes. This is somehow pretty much just fluff. I think. Though there is one one shot which consists of a fight but there is no way that will end badly in any way, so...  
> Good. I'm totally open to ideas though of course I can't promise to accept everything. But if you always wanted to have Beck and/or Jade in a certain situation with their child and you consider me able to write that, I'd love to get suggestions through reviews or private messages. I will see what I can do.  
> Also, I will try to update once a week (but I want to keep writing on other stuff next to this but as every chapter can also stand by itself and there will never be a cliffhanger I think that's okay) and want to upload the one shots chronological as far as that's possible if you give me a new idea (or I get another one by myself).  
> Now, I've talked really much. Sorry. Have fun reading!

Jade has been filming for a mini-series for two weeks now and she loves every second of it. It’s a good series, a little bit of a psychological thriller which is so much fun.  
Therefore, she enjoys being at work very much and is excited for the next three months during which they still have to film. But today she wants to get home badly. She does her best to concentrate on every scene they do today but it’s tough and she is really happy when she finally says good bye to everyone.  
She herself thinks it’s ridiculous to feel so happy. It has only been ten days after all. And they’re used to much longer times apart. For a few months a little over a year ago, Beck has already lived back in LA doing a movie while Jade has still lived in New York doing a Broadway show. They have visited each other once to twice a month and have texted and spoken on the phone as much as possible.  
They have managed and that’s why Jade has thought these ten days also couldn’t be too hard. Beck does another movie at the moment and actually has been in Washington for the last ten days to shoot on location. Today, he’s finally back.  
He has arrived in the afternoon, has already texted her. Now, it’s three hours later and she finally gets home as well.  
“Beck?” Jade calls into the small apartment as soon as she has opened the front door.  
He steps into the hallway the very next second and she has barely enough time and sense to close the door behind her before they are already in each other’s arms and then kiss for a long time.  
“I missed you,” Beck says after a while and she just kisses him again.

It’s two hours later. They have eaten the food Beck has already had prepared (though they had to warm it up again because their greeting took some time) and have talked about the day they had and a little bit about the week though they already texted and talked on the phone enough about every other day each night.  
Now, they both sit on the couch, their legs up, Jade leaning against Beck, him holding her, and stroking one of her hands with his.  
It’s silent and Jade has closed her eyes when Beck softly raises his voice again: “Do you ever think about having a child?”  
Somehow, she isn’t surprised by the question though she definitely hasn’t expected it. But in the movie, Beck is in, there are also two children in prominent roles, and Beck has obviously enjoyed the time with them. He has told Jade some of the things they said and did, and now it seems as if it has been inevitable that he would talk to her about having children on her own.  
She turns a little in his arms and he lets go of her hands and moves his upper body slightly to the side, so they can look at each other without scooting further away from each other. Meanwhile he says: “And I don’t mean in a distant future.”  
The thing is that she sometimes does think about it. They are twentytwo years old now, so they still have enough time to actually start a family. But at the same time, they’ve been married for two years now and maybe they are ready. If they both think about it... They do have the money for it, she thinks. They both get good jobs in acting regularly. Whenever they don’t (or sometimes, even if they do but have still time next to it), both of them don’t hesitate to get other jobs. She has actually worked as a bar keeper for a few months in between. He works as a waiter every now and then.  
They also don’t just spend their money with open hands. They have this apartment in LA now, which actually has a small hallway, a tiny bathroom, a living room with a kitchen and seperate bedroom. They could even afford a bigger apartment with both of them working. Of course, one of them wouldn’t work with a small child but the other would and could work even more for it if needed – not to mention that they have safed a lot of money with both of them working and not living wasteful at all.  
They can afford a child and more and more she imagines the two of them with one.  
Therefore, she says: “I do.”  
“You do?” Beck asks with a soft smile, maybe slightly surprised.  
Jade shrugs before she asks: “Do you think we could manage?” And with that, she doesn’t mean the money because she knows they can manage with that.  
But what if they can’t manage with their time? What if with work and just life, they don’t have enough time for their child? Or for each other?  
And that thought is just horrible but yes. What if they can’t manage being a family? What if having a child will be the thing that will break them apart for some reason? She knows they have the same ideas about raising a child because sometimes they have talked about their own parents and what they’ve done right or wrong. But what if the reality is too different and they won’t stop fighting again? Or what if they can’t handle a child, if she can’t handle a child, maybe not love it?  
She knows by Beck’s eyes that he knows what she’s thinking about. That he knows what she means with her question if he thinks they could manage.  
He answers: “I do. I will do anything to make it work and I know you will do the same.”  
He’s right. She would do anything to protect Beck’s and her love. She would do anything to protect their children as soon as they would have them. She would try her best to make their family work. And of course he would do the same. Of course, they both will do that.  
“I love you, Beck,” she says abruptly and kisses him.  
He returns the kiss and then says with a smile: “And that’s why we’ll manage. I love you, too. More than anything.”  
Jade feels the warmth inside of her as they share another kiss. Then she asks, her heart suddenly beating a little faster: “So, we will have a child? Shall I stop taking the pill?”  
Beck’s eyes are happily lit up as he earnestly says: “Yes!”  
Only three months later, she’s pregnant.

 

The birth takes hours and hours and Beck is tired and hungry soon enough. But he doesn’t complain and never would because he knows it’s much worse for Jade, who actually is in pain with every contraction. He tries to do exactly as Jade wants. Takes a step back when she needs room, but mostly is right next to her, holds her hand, kisses her every now and then. And finally, their child is born.  
It’s a week later now and both, Jade and their child, are home. Beck shows the baby the apartment they moved into three months ago. It’s a little further outside of the city but has an own room for the child.  
Beck steps back into the living room where Jade has sat during Beck’s tour, with closed eyes.  
“And that, Melissa, is your beautiful mommy,” Beck says and holds the little girl so that she can look at Jade though she’s almost asleep anyway.  
Jade opens her eyes and then stands up. “I’m a mess,” she says.  
She isn’t. Of course, she still has the baby bump and will have for some more time now which he knows she doesn’t like, now that the baby isn’t actually in there anymore. Also, she has light bags under her eyes and hasn’t gotten around to do her makeup the way she likes it best in the hospital.  
But she always looks beautiful and he thinks she has looked even more beautiful for the last week, or maybe since the early pregnancy. It’s something in her eyes.  
“You’re beautiful and you know it,” he says with a smile as he gets closer. He thinks she doesn’t know but he will tell her until she does know. “I love you, babe.”  
“You better,” Jade answer as she also gets closer to him. “I just gave birth to your baby after all.”  
He laughs lightly. He loves how she says that.  
And now, she looks with such a loving gaze down at their baby and takes it carefully out of his arm. Willingly, he lets go of it, lets her take it, before he draws her into a soft kiss.  
He feels so incredible.

 

They’ve gotten all the photos on a flash drive and now go through them on Jade’s laptop. They paid for all of them and can now also order some of them printed in different sizes. They want to decide which ones they want – but first they want to choose one for social media. Their PR teams have told them they should of course share a photo if they would be willing to do so.  
Melissa is one month old now and they’ve took their first professional pictures today. The public hasn’t seen the little girl until now – their families and friends have of course gotten a lot of pictures already because they both love to take them and sometimes to share them.  
Melissa lies in her cradle, which stands next to the couch, and sleeps.  
Beck is sitting close to her, his arm around Jade who leans into him, the laptop on her lap, going through the photos.  
After they have gone through them two times, she stops on one: “We should pick this one.”  
It shows both of them standing close to each other, their bodies turned to each other. Jade holds Melissa against her heart between them and while Jade looks directly into the camera, Beck looks down to Melissa, is leaned closely into her and Jade, his lips close to the baby’s head.  
Beck smiles. “I think I also like it best. I like how it shows your love in such an obvious way.”  
She looks at him with her eyebrows drawn together. That’s definitely not the reason for her to choose this photo. She does think she looks very good in the picture because otherwise she also wouldn’t consider to share it with anyone but it doesn’t... show her love, does it?  
Beck makes a gesture to the photo. “Look at your eyes in there, how you look into the camera. It clearly tells everyone that you will protect our family at any cost, that nobody can touch us because you will see to that. I love it.”  
Jade looks at herself in the photo and... well... of course she will hurt anyone who lies a finger on Melissa or Beck. Maybe, Beck is right and this photo shows exactly that.  
But she has another reason for choosing it and now slowly states that: “I think it shows your love. You’re so captured by her and me that you don’t care about the camera. You have only eyes for our daughter.”  
Beck clearly hasn’t thought about that, looks at the picture for another while, before he drops a kiss on Jade’s temple and says with a smile: “I guess it’s perfect then. It shows both our love in a perfect way. Let’s put it on your page first.”  
Jade does. She opens her twitter page and puts the picture on there without a comment.  
Beck has picked up his phone from the table and instantly retweets it with a comment of his own: “Feeling blessed. Will love both of you forever.”  
Jade reads it with a smile and there are already other comments coming it, lots of likes and some retweets but she puts the laptop away for now and turns to Beck and kisses him.  
He throws his phone away as well, lets himself fall back on the couch, pulls her with him and up himself.  
Life is amazing.


	2. Family bliss

“I’m home,” Beck says as soon as he walks through the door. “Tori and Andre are with me.”  
Andre and Tori drove here together and met Beck outside as he got back from work. He has actually just started filming for another movie.  
They come inside the apartment behind him and loose their shoes just like Beck while they hear Jade groan as if annoyed. Then she already calls out: “I’m nursing.”  
Tori looks at Beck who makes a gesture that they should wait a second before he himself takes a step into the living room from which her voice was coming.  
“Do you want to be alone?” she hears his voice and then Jade’s answer: “No, just wanted to warn Andre that he’s going to see a boob.”  
Tori looks over to Andre who looks slightly flustered at the mention of his name and Jade’s breast.  
Beck is already looking out of the living room again, with a smile: “Well, you can come in then.”  
They go in. Jade is sitting in the corner of the corner sofa, feets up the couch, knees pulled up close to her body and the baby in her arms between her legs and her breast. She has pulled up her shirt, her bra pulled down only on one side that the baby’s head covers fully.  
“Hey,” Tori says softly and smiling as she gets closer.  
“Yeah, hey,” Jade answers as she puts her legs down.  
Beck is now with her, leans down and they share a short kiss before he leans down even further and kisses the baby’s cheek while it’s still drinking.  
Then he pulls back and gives Tori and Andre room to also come closer.  
Jade still isn’t someone to love hugs but they don’t see each other all that often – Tori hasn’t seen her for almost two months now, since Melissa’s birth, which hasn’t been all that long for the usual time spans. But she now also kind of goes with the hugs, accepts them and gives them, even if she’s sometimes pulling a face. Though rarely she still absolutely declines them as if she can’t stand them. They accept that.  
Now she clearly waits for it and so Tori also leans down, though she doesn’t want to disturb her nursing, and they share a short one-armed hug with the baby between them.  
Andre seems even more flustered but also hugs her. Then, Tori sits down next to Jade on the shorter side of the couch, Andre next to her and Beck sits down on Jade’s other side.  
“Everything alright?” he asks and seems worried as he watches Jade closely.  
She rolls her eyes while she puts her legs back up. “I just forgot they would come today.”  
Tori bites her lips. Maybe, they should have texted in their group chat again, so everyone definitely would have known. But she hasn’t even thought that Jade of course could have forgotten with everything else going on, with actually having a child to take care of.  
“I reminded you this morning,” Beck softly says, rubbing her knee and still watching her a little worried.  
“I know,” she replies harshly. “I’m just like... forgetting everything.”  
“You don’t get enough sleep,” Beck notices.  
Jade raises her eyebrows and defends herself as if Beck said differently: “That’s not my fault.”  
“I know,” he just answers and leans forward again to kiss her again. She does kiss back.  
It’s the same moment the door bell rings.  
Beck gets up again to get it and Jade’s eyes wander back to her arms.  
Tori herself catches a glimpse of Melissa. She is truly the cutest. She has only seen her twice for real, a few hours after her birth and two days later, both in the hospital, has hold her once there.  
She has seen quite a few pictures though. They have that group chat and Beck seems to love posting pictures of Melissa. Mostly just of her though Tori bets he makes thousands of pics with her and Jade together and Jade just forbids him to post most of them. From time to time they get one though. And from time to time Jade also posts beautiful pictures of Beck and Melissa without any comment and they have gotten one of all of them together. Melissa has been cute on all of them. And Jade and Beck may have seemed a little exhausted if you looked close enough but also always happy in a way that seems so private.  
And of coure there has been that picture on twitter that all of them have commented on, next to all the fans of Beck and Jade. Tori still can’t decide though if that’s a better pic than all the photos Jade and Beck themselves take.  
But despite all the pictures... Tori still can’t believe they actually have a child, they have to take care of a whole new human being, that they made that human being. But there it lies in Jade’s arms and she looks down lovingly at it.  
Apparently, Robbie and Cat are at the door. Beck tells them as well that Jade is nursing but that they can go further into the living room and that he meanwhile will catch some drinks.  
Andre promptly stands up and tells them he will help Beck with the drinks and he and the others meet in the door, shortly hug each other before Andre is off to the kitchen that’s in a seperate room.  
Cat is totally excited to see Jade and Melissa.  
She hugs Jade tightly and then already starts talking to Melissa: “Hey, Lizzy. Are you drinking? Are you hungry? You’re so cute.”  
She barely makes room for Robbie to also hug Jade, before he also greets Tori and then sits down at the far end of the couch. She still talks a little to Melissa until Jade cuts through her with an eye roll. “You can have her in a sec.”  
“Really?” Cat asks happily and sits down between her and Robbie.  
She nods, looking down at her daughter again: “She is about to finish up now.”  
Cat claps in her hands as Beck and Andre come back, both with some glasses and bottles.  
“Coke?” Beck asks Jade directly after stepping next to her again where Cat has left some room for him to sit down, about to pour and she nods, before she says: “You can also give Melissa to Cat.”  
Cat claps excitedly again and Beck pours while Jade gently pulls her daughter away from her breast, covers it again and quietly says to her: “Come on now, Lizzy. Go to Daddy.”  
Beck puts the filled glass on the table in front of Jade and gives the bottle to Andre who asks around who else wants coke and pours it.  
Tori also takes a coke but still watches Jade closely as she puts a kiss on the cheek of her daughter in such a sweet way... It’s so weird to see her like that, to see her so soft and gentle. To see her with a child, with her child.  
Beck takes the baby out of her arms.  
“Hey, sweetie,” he greets the little girl and puts a few kisses on her faces with a smile that’s also unbelievingly loving. Then he asks: “Do you want to go to Auntie Cat? Yes, you do.”  
He turns to Cat and gently puts her down in her arms.  
“Watch her head,” Jade warns, obviously watching closely.  
“I got her,” Cat says happily and Beck draws back at the same moment and finally drops on the couch again, really close to Jade.  
He puts his arm around her and she instantly cuddles up to him, her feet still up the couch, leaning her knees against his upper body, and lying her face in the crook of his neck, her eyes still on Melissa and Cat.  
Andre also gives Beck a drink, then Becks looks around the room: “Well... So, what’s new in your lives? I feel like I haven’t heard anything from you since... like a month before her birth.”  
He indicates Melissa in Cat’s arm with his head and Tori has to say: “You have a lot on your plate. Both of you.”  
They all know that and nobody blames Beck or Jade for not having taken any part in all their lives recently. Tori isn’t sure if they ever truly will again. They have to take care of a whole other human being now after all – and that for the rest of their lives. Their friendship therefore naturally won’t be the same anymore.  
“Yeah, well...” Beck says, looks over to his baby again, then: “So?”  
They answer him, only Cat not involved in the conversation who instead talks softly to Melissa the whole way through, makes funny faces for her which makes the little girl give smiles and small gurgling noises that somehow sound extremely happy.  
Finally, she decides: “Robbie, you take her.”  
She’s leaning forward to give her to him but Robbie doesn’t seem happy with that idea: “Uhm... I’m not sure if I...”  
He looks past Cat and Beck to Jade who watches them intently and Tori knows why he’s getting this nervous. Jade has always frightened him and the option of holding her child while she’s looking at him like that, clearly about to see every possible mistake... Tori remembers that all of them (except Cat) had been nervous that first time because Jade may have allowed them all to hold her child but she still had looked at them as if she would murder them if Melissa would cry in their arms.  
But Robbie doesn’t get to defend himself any longer because then, Cat has already put the baby in his arms.  
He looks down at it with a soft smile. “Hey, Melissa. It’s me, your Uncle Rob.”  
Melissa makes a noise and Cat promptly claims: “She likes you.”  
Robbie looks happy about that and Tori sees how Beck watches them with a smile and it’s that moment that Andre asks: “How is life with her?”  
“Exhausting,” Jade answers without hesitation and sounds as harsh as she so often does.  
Beck has a light smile on his face as he pulls Jade even closer. “It really is. But it’s also amazing. And it’s crazy how fast we got used to having her around and everything. I mean... A year ago she didn’t even exist but I feel like I know her since forever.”  
“It’s unbelieveable,” Tori agrees. “That thought that she didn’t even exist a year ago.”  
“It really is,” Robbie confirms as he stands up with the baby in his arms. He goes over to Andre and puts Melissa in his arms. “Here, Andre. You have her.”  
Andre smiles brightly at the girl while Robbie sits back down. “Hey, little one. It’s your Uncle Andre.”  
Tori shortly shoots the two of them a smile, before she turns back to Beck and Jade: “Does she sleep well?”  
Jade herself looks at Melissa who possibly hasn’t left her sight once since she has given her out of her arms. “She does, just not much in one go, so I sleep about an hour every now and then.”  
“That does sound exhausting,” Robbie says and Cat asks: “But it will get better, won’t it?”  
“It better be,” Jade directly states and now she finally looks from Melissa to Beck who returns the look and the next moment they kiss each other softly.  
“Want to go to Auntie Tori?” Andre finally asks the baby and hands her over to Tori.  
She feels heavy and alive and amazing in that way in her arms. It’s so weird and great to actually feel her against you.  
Tori looks down in her face and just then, she scrunches her nose while she tries to grab Tori’s hair and Tori smiles: “She absolutely is the cutest.”  
“She is,” Cat nods and Beck smiles before he suddenly turns to Andre as if he has just remembered: “Oh, what happened to your song by the way?”  
Andre has written this song that a relatively famous singer wanted to have but only if he would change a few things which Andre hasn’t been sure about.  
Andre tells them what they have agreed on now and they go on talking about the music business in general when Tori notices that Melissa is about to fall asleep in her arms. She’s sure the baby would sleep much better with her parents, so she stands up and is about to give her to Jade. Jade however promptly leans further into Beck and doesn’t put her arms up to take the baby.  
Beck looks at Tori with a smile and makes a short gesture with the arm that doesn’t lie around Jade, and Tori finally puts the baby in that arm, before she sits down again and all of them continue with their conversation.  
They keep on talking and talking and Tori soon realizes that Jade and Melissa have both fallen asleep in Beck’s arm. That of course is a real testament of how exhausted Jade really is. Tori’s sure she wouldn’t have fallen asleep in front of all of them otherwise while they are all talking.  
Though, Jade also isn’t asleep for too long. Melissa wakes up first and she just gets a little uneasy and Beck already seems like he wants to pull out under Jade when Melissa gives a soft cry and Jade startles awake.  
Robbie falls silent. He has just been in the middle of a story but now they all look to the baby as Beck truly pulls out under Jade and stands up.  
“I’ll go change her,” he says and is already on his way out the living room.  
Robbie looks after him for a second before he ends his story lamely: “Anyway... That’s how that happened.”  
Jade has leant back into the couch, calm again, and looks at Robbie: “Are you talking about that weird pic you sent yesterday?”  
Robbie has sent a picture over their group chat yesterday that had showed him in some very colorful pants and with an ukulele, without any comment. Nobody has really reacted to it – Tori has also wanted to ask him about it today.  
“Um, no,” Robbie says, looking flustered as if he doesn’t even want to be reminded of that photo. Though he has sent it himself.  
Jade raises an eyebrow but is definitely interested now: “How came that to be?”  
Robbie tells the story and they are all laughing because of it when Beck comes back with Melissa.  
Andre takes up on the story and starts one of his own Tori listens to while she watches Beck coming closer again and now Jade stretching her arms in his direction. He understands her without a word being exchanged and puts Melissa into her arms before he sits down right next to her again and puts his arm around her.  
Jade presses herself close to Beck again with their baby in her arms but she faces Andre and listens to his story. She truly stays awake for the rest of their visit and is involved in their talk as much as always, gives her harsh comments every now and then that make the others laugh from time to time.  
Beck also is like usual and Melissa falls asleep again in her mother’s arms, so that nothing seems different than all their other get-togethers. Except that Tori catches Beck or Jade or both of them every now and then suddenly looking at their child and kind of getting lost in their family bliss.  
It’s so beautiful and somehow, Tori’s also jealous. She’s jealous that they have this while she doesn’t even have a serious boyfriend at the moment. But she also definitely think they deserve this. They deserve to be this happy little family.


	3. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the only chapter where Jade and Beck fight (as of now - who knows what other ideas I could have where they would have to fight ;)). Thank you for the kudos I got for the last two chapters. I hope you'll also enjoy this one. :)

“I look awful.”  
Jade stands in front of the mirror in their bathroom and checks herself out.  
Melissa is five months old now and she finally has her old body back but she still doesn’t feel all that comfortable all the time. Furthermore, she herself believes she looks stressed most of the time, even now in the mirror with the best makeup, her hair done and a beautiful dress.  
“You look amazing!” Beck has done his own hair next to her, now gives her a kiss on the cheek and leaves the bathroom.  
She follows him into the bedroom while she says: “I don’t feel like going out today.”  
She has been excited for the night. Melissa is staying with Beck’s parents which she isn’t necessarily happy about because she feels like she can barely trust anyone with her baby. But it’s good that they have a night for themselves, that they finally have hours and hours just for each other.  
They have wanted to go to their favorite restaurant and she also has been excited for that. To finally go out again because she hasn’t been really out since Melissa’s birth.  
But she doesn’t feel comfortable today and she’s a little worried about Melissa and she just doesn’t feel like going out.  
Beck turns to face her. “Come on. I bet we’ll have a good time.”  
“I don’t want to,” she answers and for a while they just look at each other before he shrugs: “Then, let’s stay in and have a nice dinner here.”  
She feels sick. How she hates this. How she hates the way he behaves lately. How he has behaved ever since Melissa’s birth.  
First, she hasn’t really noticed as the situation suddenly was so different anyway, now with a child in their every day lives. And she guesses, it also has been the right way to behave around her for the first few months.  
But recently, it pisses her off and she feels like telling him off for it.  
It’s this thing that he just... is overly nice and always backs away from any disagreement. He has always been very patient with her, always been nice but he has still stood up for what he wanted. He obviously wants to go out and usually he would’ve tried to persuade her to go and probably would have succeeded because he usually does. Now, he just directly gives up. She hates it.  
But he has done that ever since Melissa’s birth. He never argues with her. He never tells her off if she is calling their friends bad names like he usually does. He seems to avoid every kind of fight or disagreement.  
She hates it because this isn’t him. This is not the man she loves.  
But she also hasn’t said anything about it whenever she has noticed over the last few weeks because she would’ve gotten loud and maybe there would have been a fight. And she also doesn’t know if they should do that in front of their baby. They can fight pretty ugly, especially if there has been enough time for anger boiling and bottling up in both of them.  
But Melissa isn’t here now and it’s enough.  
Beck asks: “Want to order or should I cook something?”  
And Jade just has to say it: “You’re ridiculous!”  
Beck pulls his eyebrows together, confused. “What?”  
“Don’t always be like that,” Jade says.  
She sees in his eyes that he understands what she’s talking about. Of course he does because he behaves like that on purpose, never disagrees with her anymore on purpose. He still asks: “Like what?”  
“Like what?” Jade instantly mimics him in her worst impression of Beck which always makes him angry. “Honestly!”  
She sees him gritting his teeth, closing his eyes for a second, clearly calming himself down. Why? Melissa isn’t around. Why doesn’t he just gets back at her?  
Finally he says: “I’m just trying to be a good father and husband.”  
And that’s really ridiculous because he doesn’t have to avoid disagreements with her to be that. He never had done that when they hadn’t had their child. Melissa would surely not have a problem with them disagreeing or with light bickering. Especially because he also behaves like this when she’s already asleep in her room. Yes, she has never said anything to avoid an ugly fight but some light bickering probably wouldn’t even have been noticed by her.  
“Well, you have to try harder then,” she promptly says and she does want to hurt him with that. Because all of this pisses her off too much. It pisses her off that he behaves this way, that he isn’t himself anymore. That their relationship suddenly is so different, and apparently just because of Melissa. And it’s not like she wouldn’t have expected it to be different with a child but... not like this.  
She instantly sees anger flaring up in his eyes because he obviously tries hard to be a good father and husband. “Are you kidding me?”  
“Are you?” she replies.  
And for a moment, she thinks he will finally raise his voice, but he closes his eyes again for a few seconds, then he asks with forced calmness: “Can’t we just have a nice evening together?”  
“No!” Because she definitely doesn’t want to anymore. Not with this Beck.  
“Jade,” he starts saying, again too calm though she sees the anger inside of him that he usually always has felt safe letting out around her.  
She cuts through, turning away from him: “I don’t want to have a nice evening with you!”  
And now he finally bursts: “No, you want to fight!”  
“I don’t!” she answers because she doesn’t. She never likes them fighting. But she hates it even more when Beck holds back like this, when he behaves so differently, when he forces himself to be calm instead of just actually being calm. “I just want you to be you!”  
She turns back around and glares at him.  
“You just don’t like being happy,” he claims.  
“Yeah, right”, she answers. “That makes me want to spend an evening talking to you.”  
She rolls her eyes and he looks frustrated: “Why have you always be so difficult?”  
Yeah, because she’s difficult now. Because she’s always the problem.  
“Fuck you!”  
“Yeah, wow. Should I just leave, or what?”  
“I don’t care! Do whatever you want!”  
She even makes room for him to go past her, so he truly can leave. But then, she stops in her tracks and they both just stare at each other. Because for a moment, they probably both do see him leave and they have often enough fought with one of them leaving in the middle. But suddenly, they are a family, they have a child. It’s their first fight after Melissa’s birth and Jade knows the thought of him leaving now doesn’t only feel final for her.  
It makes her sick and she feels like suffacting and for a moment, she wants to tell him he can’t leave, that he has to stay.  
But at that same moment, he’s already with her, has pulled her to him and kisses her roughly and desperately. Before she knows it, he pushes her on the bed and they get lost in each other, in their anger, in them holding back for weeks and months now and finally letting go again.  
They turn back to normal after that. They still don’t get into big fights when Melissa is close but they do their usual bickering, they both allow themselves to talk to each other the way they’ve always talked. Because that’s just how they are and that’s how their relationship works.  
The next morning, Beck’s parents come to visit and bring Melissa back. After they ask, Jade rolls her eyes and Beck tells them that they had indeed a very nice evening.  
Beck’s parents notice that they do look more relaxed now than before and it obviously has done them some good. Jade has to smirk. Yes, it has done them good. But in such a different way than his parents will probably ever guess.


	4. Family dinner

There’s a raging storm and Tori isn’t sure if she will ever make it home.  
But Beck and Jade’s home is close enough and she ends up pulling her car to the side on an empty street and dialing Beck’s number (as she’s sure he will instantly agree for her staying over while Jade will be difficult – even if she probably would also agree in the end).  
Beck picks the phone up after two rings. “Talk to me.”  
“Hey, it’s me, Tori,” she replies. “Are you at home and can I come over?”  
“You know that there’s a storm raging outside, don’t you?” Beck says, seemingly bemused.  
Tori looks out of her car window. Oh, yes, she knows. “Yeah, and I’m right in it. I’m closest to your house and I would be forever grateful if you could harbor me for the night.”  
For a second, he doesn’t say anything, then: “Yeah, sure. Drive carefully though.”  
“I will. Thank you, Beck,” she says before she hangs up the phone.  
It takes her twenty minutes instead of five to get to their house because there’s rain everywhere and in between somehow all those different things the storm must have taken from gardens or houses or something. Not to mention that the storm pulls so much on her car that she’s afraid it will push it from the street. Therefore, she drives really slow.  
She also can’t get into the street for the direct way and has to drive around it because there’s a tree on that road.  
She parks her car and then runs through the storm to the door and rings the bell.  
Beck is the one who opens. “Hey. Come in fast,” he says as he makes room and closes the door directly behind her.  
She gets the water slightly out of her hair before she hugs Beck.  
“Thank you so much for haboring me,” she says, then she starts to pull out her jacket and her shoes.  
“Not a problem. It’s not like we can leave you outside with this storm going on,” he says. “You are in time for dinner. You should know though that the whole family is here.”  
“What?” Tori asks. What does that even mean?  
Beck smiles. “Yeah, our parents are visiting.”  
“Am I intruding on a family moment?” Tori asks with widended eyes.  
Beck shakes his head lightly. “No, no, don’t worry. Come on in.”  
He leads her to the living room that’s connected openly to the kitchen in this apartment, they moved into almost half a year ago.  
And there truly sits the whole family around the table that’s barely big enough, to which they have drawn up all the chairs they probably have in the apartment. There are Beck’s parents, Jade’s father and stepmother, her mother and her brother Jasper, little Melissa that’s now one and a half years old on her highchair and Jade is just now putting the last food on the table.  
Tori can’t even say a greeting because she’s a little stunned at the fact that the whole family really is here and she kind of interrupts the moment now. “Oh, gosh. I didn’t know everyone would be here.”  
Jade’s mother, Ms. Anderson, smiles. “Ah, don’t worry about it.”  
Mrs. Oliver nods. “Beck told us you’ve been out in this storm. We were worried something happened to you.”  
“Yeah, why were you still out anyway?” Beck asks as he’s gesturing to the chair next to Ms. Anderson and opposite to Mrs. Oliver for Tori to sit down while he himself sits down on the corner to Mrs. Oliver, Melissa on her highchair next to him. Jade sits down on Melissa’s other side, barely looking at Tori who takes the gestured chair that’s on the corner to Jade.  
“I met my music producer and I didn’t think it would get this bad. I guess I missed that weather report,” she answers. Her music producer lives far out of the city.  
“Well, we’re happy that you’re safe now,” Mrs. Oliver says with a smile.  
“Yeah. Let’s enjoy the food,” Beck agrees and so, they start eating.  
Everyone gets themselves different things on their plates and Ms. Anderson gives Tori a drink.  
And after Mrs. West has complimented Beck and Jade on the food, Tori finally has to ask: “So, is there a special occasion for all of this?”  
“Not really,” Mrs. Oliver answers. “We just haven’t managed to get together for any of the holidays and we thought we should.”  
And finally, Jade also says something, darkly: “Yeah, and we apparently chose the perfect day as now everyone has to spend the night because the weather won’t clear up.”  
Well, Jade never holds back. Tori notices that both Beck and Jasper have to smile about it though and Mr. and Mrs. West also don’t look angry about it (Tori also isn’t sure though if she could see if Mr. West would be angry). Mr. and Mrs. Oliver seem slightly uncomfotable but it’s Ms. Anderson who speaks first, also not angry at all: “I bet we’ll have a nice evening.”  
Jade rolls her eyes without looking up from her plate and Mr. Oliver decides to quickly change the topic: “Well... I love the food.”  
Promptly, they start talking about the food and soon enough about cooking in general and other things.  
It’s a while after everyone has finished eating that Beck says: “Everyone can move over to the couch.”  
Everyone stands up and Jade pulls Melissa out of her highchair and puts her on the ground. Ms. Anderson already reaches her hand out for the little girl. “Want to come with us, Lizzy?”  
Melissa accepts the hand and goes with them over to the couch. Beck takes two of the dining room chairs and also moves them over. His father promptly grabs two himself, so everyone has definitely enough room to sit around the small coffee table.  
Jade meanwhile starts cleaning up the table and Beck gets back to her and helps her while everyone else sits down with their glasses, already starting to talk again, mainly to Melissa. They are showing her all the things that are spread over the coffee table.  
Tori hasn’t exactly noticed them before as she was too distracted by the whole family being here. But everyone has apparently brought some things for Melissa. There are three new toys, two new books and a big stuffed bunny, Melissa now grabs happily.  
Beck and Jade join them as soon as they have the dinner table cleaned up and they’ve long moved on to other topics again. They sit down next to each other on the couch where there’s just enough room left but they don’t sit as close as they do so often when they are with their friends. They do touch occasionally, hold hands in between, Beck puts his arms around her. But when they are with their friends, they often sit so close they could be one person. Tori guesses they don’t want to do that in front of their parents as if it could be awkward for them.  
Mrs. Oliver asks Tori interested about her career and Mrs. West actually soon joins in while Mr. West and Mr. Oliver somehow talk about their jobs and Jasper talks to Jade and Beck, while Ms. Anderson plays with Melissa at first. But it changes around, probably mainly because everyone wants to play with Melissa at one point.  
All in all, Mr. West is the quietest though which doesn’t surprise Tori much. Mrs. West, who Tori has only met at the wedding of Beck and Jade before, also isn’t too involved but nice and happy all the way through, and also plays with Melissa at one point. During that, Tori even catches Mr. West, who doesn’t play with Melissa on his own, watching them with a smile and picking up the new toy Melissa lets fall down and stroking her hair with his hand as he gives it back.  
Tori herself holds back with Melissa. She loves playing with the little girl but she hasn’t been supposed to be here and this is time for the family. She doesn’t need to get her attention now.  
As Melissa goes to Beck at some point in the evening though, he turns her around with a smile into Tori’s direction. “See if Auntie Tori wants to play.”  
“Auntie Tori!” Melissa squeals as if she has forgotten Tori was there, and comes running to her.  
“Oh my god,” Tori says. “Since when can you say that?”  
She has never before said either of those words. Not that Tori knows of. But she finally can say her name! She doesn’t just make weird sounds around ‘auntie’ or ‘Tori’ but actually says those words.  
She pulls her up into her lap, excited, as Beck says amused: “I think she can say that since this very moment.”  
Jasper who sits next to Beck on the side, Jade doesn’t sit on, now asks: “Hasn’t she just learned ‘bunny’ earlier?”  
By now, everyone else also listens to them as Beck says: “At the moment, she seems to learn a handful of words each day.”  
Ms. Anderson smiles. “Soon enough, she will argue you two to the ground. Now, it will go really fast for her to truly talk.”  
“It’s amazing how fast it goes at that age, right?” Mrs. Oliver puts in and they start talking about child development while Tori starts looking with Melissa to one of her new toys.  
It gets later and later and Jade goes to change Melissa at some point, seemingly happy to have the chance to get out of the room and away from everyone for a second.  
Not that much later, she takes some of the empty bottles to put them away and possibly get some new ones, and Beck stands up to help her. There are still two more empty bottles and Tori decides to also help them and follows them with those empty bottles into the hallway where they have a small storeroom in which they keep their drinks among other things.  
“Thanks,” Beck tells Tori with a smile as she gives him the bottles and he puts them where they belong. Jade also gets a few new bottles out, mainly water, and gives them to Beck and Tori while she says to Beck: “It’s getting late. What about sleeping arrangements?”  
It almost seems as if they planned to go out of the living room together to talk about that on their own. Though they definitely haven’t whispered about that before. Jade has just suddenly stood up and begun to clean up and Beck has silently joined her. But Tori guesses after all those years she can’t be surprised they think alike and know what the other wants or plans to do.  
At least, Beck doesn’t seem surprised about that question and instead answers: “Well... We have our bed for two people, the guest room for two people and the couch could hold two. With the cot and the air bed, everyone will fit somewhere.” Tori now also notices the cot in the storeroom and guesses the air bed must also be in here though it’s not blown up at the moment. She knows she couldn’t sponteanously fit seven people in her apartment. Maybe she would somehow find enough blankets but everyone would have to sleep on the floor. But she guesses this shows how much of a family home they have. Somehow it shows how much they are parents.  
Beck and Jade are both silent for a moment, possibly thinking about where to put everyone, when Jade says: “We will take the air bed then and can sleep in Melissa’s room.” She waits for Beck’s nod before she decides: “I don’t want my dad and Stephanie sleeping in our bed though.”  
“Let’s have your mom and Jasper sleep there if they’ll be okay sharing a bed,” he instantly answers.  
“They will be,” she says and with that, it’s also agreed apparently.  
Beck at least goes on: “That leaves the guest room, the couch and the cot.”  
And Tori knows the best of those options is the guest room and they should give that to one of their parents. The second most comfortable will probably be the couch. She should go on the cot. Particularly as it doesn’t look like two people could easily sleep on it, as far as Tori can see. It would be weird to sleep with one of their parents on the couch.  
Therefore, she says: “I can take the cot.”  
Both shortly glance at her before they look each other in the eye again and Jade shrugs: “I guess she will also sleep in Melissa’s room then because everything else is akward. Then, let your parents have the guest room.”  
“You dad and Stephanie can also have it,” he answers.  
She shakes her head however. “No, it’s fine. Everyone should be satisfied with just being allowed in this house anyway. We could also throw them out into the storm.”  
Beck chuckles and kisses her and Tori also has to smile when Melissa suddenly cries in the living room.  
Jade closes the door to the storeroom and quickly goes back into the living room. Beck is right behind her and Tori also follows them, both with new bottles in their hands.  
Melissa stands next to the coffee table, crying heartbreakingly, and as soon as she sees Jade, she cries out: “Mommy!”  
Jade picks her up, pulls her close and already asks everyone else in the room harshly: “What’s going on?”  
Wow, does Tori feel lucky to have been with her while Melissa has started crying. She has never before experienced Melissa crying while Jade has been close but not in the same room. It must happen all the time but Tori still doesn’t know if Jade won’t kill because of something like this. She is scary like that.  
“We just talked to her,” Mrs. Oliver says and Ms. Anderson nods: “We all talked to her at the same time somehow. I guess it was too much for her just now.”  
Beck puts his bottles down next to the table (Tori follows suit) and then steps next to Jade, slowly rubbing Melissa’s back. The girl already calmed down a lot but is still pressed closely to Jade.  
Jade now says while Tori sits back down on her chair: “Well, it’s also late and she has had a long day. But yes, it probably is too much for her. With so many people being here for so long. She isn’t used to that.”  
She and Beck also sit down next to each other again, Melissa still pressed close to her mother.  
Ms. Anderson smiles: “Well, she is a lot like her mom then, isn’t she? You also never liked too many people around, even at an older age. You never liked it if too much was going on.”  
Mrs. Oliver seems amused. “Oh, Beck also didn’t like too much excitement when he was young.”  
“Do you rememer your uncle’s birthday?” Mr. Oliver asks her and she laughs before he turns to everyone else and says: “Everyone loved playing with him until at one point my wife’s sister wanted to pick him up and he suddenly just started screaming, clinging to his mother’s legs. Neither of us were able to do anything and he didn’t stop until we went out of the room.”  
“Ridiculous,” Jade quietly says and Tori sees how she smirks at Beck who smiles back at her amused. He doesn’t seem embarrassed by the story.  
Ms. Anderson also smiles as she says: “Well, Jade just kept disappearing whenever it was too much for her. She always left for somewhere more quiet. When she was about six, we watched a parade together and I let go of her for one second and when I looked, she wasn’t there anymore. I was worried sick, called for her, searched through the crowd and then found her, standing behind it, a few feets away.”  
Tori can imagine it all too well. Poor Ms. Anderson, though she looks as if she’s rather fond of the memory now, rather than being scared by it.  
Beck slightly raises his eyebrows. “Gosh. I hope Melissa won’t be like that. I would die out of worry.”  
Jade smirks at him again: “Well, obviously, she’s a clinger liker her daddy.”  
Sure enough, Melissa may be long calm now but she still hugs Jade tightly.  
Beck smiles and they share a short and very sweet kiss before Beck turns to everyone else again: “Anyway... I think Lizzy should get into bed and I guess everyone else could also use some quiet. Jade and I have just spoken about where you could all sleep.”  
He explains the sleeping arrangements they have decided on though he leaves out Tori as she already knows where she will sleep.  
Ms. Anderson asks though: “What about Tori?”  
“She will sleep on a cot with us in Lizzy’s room,” Beck answers and Ms. Anderson says: “Oh, you’re already three people in there.” She turns to Tori herself: “If you wouldn’t mind you could also sleep in their room with us. Then, Lizzy’s room won’t get too crowded.”  
Tori is surprised but Ms. Anderson is nice, as is Jasper. She shortly looks in his direction but he also doesn’t seem to mind. It also only has to be for one night. And as Melissa already seems to be overwhelmed, maybe it would be best if she would only sleep in one room with her parents.  
So, she nods: “Sure.”

The bedrooms are all three upstairs and Beck gets the air bed and the cot while Jade goes upstairs with Mr. and Mrs. Oliver, Ms. Anderson, Jasper, Melissa and Tori. She sends Beck’s parents into the guest room, saying: “The guestroom should be done but say if there’s anything missing.”  
They smile before they leave and everyone else steps into Jade and Beck’s room.  
Jade wants to pull Melissa away from herself who’s still pressed close to her: “Come on. Sit down on the bed for a sec.”  
“No,” the little girl says defiantely and Jade rolls her eyes but Ms. Anderson already says: “It’s okay. Just tell us where everything is.”  
Jade opens the smaller of the two closets they have in their room. “There should be enough bedclothes in here. We’ll take ours but you can have these and Tori those. I will get those blankets and pillows to Dad and Stephanie but I hope the others suffice for you.”  
Her mother already pulls out the bedclothes she has gestured to and Beck comes in the bedroom in the same moment with the cot.  
“You sure, you wanna sleep together in here?” he asks.  
“Yeah, sure,” Tori answers with a smile and Jasper and Ms. Anderson also nod.  
Jade meanwhile grabs the blankets and pillows she has also indicated before, Melissa still in her arms though. “I’ll get these to Dad and Stephanie. Don’t forget our bedclothes and pajamas, Beck. Good night.”

They only have one bathroom in this apartment but they somehow all manage to get ready for bed over the next hour.  
Tori makes herself at home on the cot when Ms. Anderson who slips into the bed at the same time suddenly says: “I hope it’s really okay for you to stay with us. I just thought it’d be nice for Beck, Jade and Melissa to have time on their own. It’s probably stressful enough for every one of them to have all of us stay the night.”  
Tori hasn’t thought about it but yes, of course it also has to be stressful for Beck and Jade. Jade still never likes too many people around, at least in her own home, in her own space. Obviously, she can easily manage with a full crew on her job but this is just so different, even if she at least knows everyone here. And apparently, Beck also had problems with this as a child, and Tori can actually imagine him being simliar to Jade in this case although she shows it more obvious (though also has behaved herself quite good if Tori thinks back to school).  
And Tori’s sorry to have caused even more trouble, to have made the sleeping arrangements even more difficult.  
“I really didn’t know you would all be here.”  
“No, no,” Ms. Anderson quickly says. “You couldn’t have stayed in that storm any longer. It’s good that you’re here.”  
She smiles and at the same time, Jasper comes back from the bathroom, now in a pajama Beck has given him, which is a little too big for him.  
Tori has decided to sleep in her clothes when Beck has offered her some of their clothes because she hasn’t been sure if Jade wouldn’t kill her, no matter if she would accept Jade’s or Beck’s clothes. Ms. Anderson has accepted a shirt of Jade’s but apparently the other parents have also declined clothes if they have gotten offered some as well.  
Right behind Jasper, Beck comes into the room. “Everyone okay and settled in? Does anyone need anything?”  
“Everything’s perfect, thank you,” Ms. Anderson says with a smile and Tori nods.  
“Well, then,” he says. “Have a good night.”  
“You, too,” they all answer.

When Tori wakes up the next morning, Jasper is still fast asleep but Ms. Anderson is already out of the room. Her borrowed shirt and her bed clothes are in a neat pile on her side of the bed. Tori puts her bed clothes on top of them before she leaves for the bathroom.  
After that, she slowly goes into the living room from which she already hears voices.  
Mr. and Mrs. West, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver and Ms. Anderson are all up and in the kitchen. Mr. West sits at the dining table while Mrs. West and Mr. Oliver set the table and Mrs. Oliver and Ms. Anderson make food.  
Tori wishes everyone a good morning which they all wish back and then she already has a coffee in her hand and is seated at the table.  
Jasper soon joins them but the food is almost ready and Beck, Jade and Melissa are still not with them.  
Ms. Anderson quietly asks Tori after a while: “Would you mind go looking if Beck and Jade are already up?”  
Tori understands why she’s sent. As they would have allowed her to sleep in the same room with them, they are obviously okay with her around while they’re asleep and won’t feel too uncomfortable being woken up by her.  
She definitely is ready to help in any way and therefore directly stands up and goes back upstairs to softly knock on Melissa’s door.  
There is no answer and she carefully opens the door.  
In front of her is a beautiful sight. Jade and Beck lie on the air bed spooning, Beck being the big spoon, very close. But Jade isn’t just the little spoon. Instead of in her crib, Melissa lies in Jade’s arms as the actual littlest spoon. All of them are still fast asleep. Of course, Tori has to smile.  
And it’s still so beautiful to see this little family. Sometimes, she thinks it gets more beautiful with every time she sees them together. Because Jade and Beck are still the same and yet so grown-up and responsible. And Melissa seems to be the perfect mix between the two of them, bright and strong like they both are.  
And it’s just always great to see the love between all of them, like in this very moment. The love that, Tori is sure, will remain forever this beautiful.


	5. The safest place

“Mommy? Daddy?”  
Her voice is just a whisper in the dark bedroom of her parents but there is a small noise coming from the bed as a response.  
She tries to locate it from the point at which she stands. “Mommy?”  
It is the silhoutte of her mother that sits up.  
“Lizzy, what is it?”  
“I had a nightmare,” Melissa answers. “There was a monster who wanted to eat me.”  
It has been a big and especially scary monster and for a moment after she woke up she has thought it was in her room and she has almost screamed until she has noticed it was only her new wardrobe they bought a day earlier. Which she now considers a little too big but she will have to talk to her parents about that in the morning.  
She still hasn’t felt good staying in her own room. She wants to be with her parents who could protect her. Just in case. The monster could after all also hide in the wardrobe, so...  
“That doesn’t sound good,” her mother replies and already bends over her father who seems to still be fast asleep. She grabs Melissa and pulls her up on the bed and closer to her, right on top of her father who doesn’t wake up.  
Melissa guesses that her mother has lied on top of him until she woke her. Usually, it’s her mother who wakes up if they sleep like that and she quietly asks for them. If they sleep apart, it’s usually her father that wakes first, sometimes already by the sound of her coming into the room. If they sleep embraced in any other way, it varies more.  
“Do you want to sleep in our bed the rest of the night?” her mother asks and Melissa nods.  
Her mother smiles and draws back the blankets over her father. Melissa lies down on top of him and her mother takes his left arm to put it around her. Only then she pulls the blanket back up and snuggles herself up from the right side, lying her head at the same height Melissa’s lies.  
“Feel safe?” she asks queitly.  
Melissa smiles. “I do.” Because of course she does when she is in her father’s arms like this and with her mother close as well.  
“I do too,” her mother breathes back with a smile of her own.

She gets woken up by a kiss on her cheek and her mother’s voice quietly saying: “You too, Lizzy. Wake up.”  
She’s still in her father’s arms in her parents’ bed. Her mother sits next to them though, already dressed and ready for the day.  
Her father seems to wake up in this very moment and he and her mother share a short kiss before he looks at Melissa who sits up yawning on top of him.  
“Good morning, sweetie. What are you doing here?”  
“There was a monster!” she directly answers, already remembering her nightmare and how she was sure to see that exact monster in her room afterwards.  
“In your room?” her father asks while he holds her in place with both hands as he sits up as well, so that she ends up sitting in his lap.  
“In my dream,” she answer truthfully. “And possibly in my room.”  
She leans against her father’s upper body and he holds her close as he says: “N’aw. But you slept well here?”  
She nods and her mother softly strokes her hair before her father says: “That’s good. Then let’s eat breakfast, huh?”  
She sees how he looks at her mother and how she nods. At the moment, her mother is filming something and always has to get going pretty early. They still eat breakfast together before she leaves.  
Melissa uses breakfast today to tell both of them all about her nightmare and that new wardrobe that kind of looks like a monster in the dark.

She comes back the next night because the monster is back as well. At least in her dreams. Her parents have checked her whole room for monsters, so it can’t actually be inside her room or the wardrobe but her dream said differently, so...  
This time, she carefully steps through the door when she already hears her father’s voice in a whisper: “Lizzy?”  
“Daddy?” she replies softly, stepping closer as quietly as she can.  
“Have you had a nightmare again?” her father asks as he sits up.  
She has had and is ready to tell him all about it but it’s late and dark and she knows it’s not the time. She also doesn’t feel like she needs to tell him right now. After all, she’s already safe here and doesn’t need him to do anything more about it.  
So, she just nods as he pulls her up the bed and into his lap.  
“Want to sleep with us again?”  
She nods a second time and he goes with a hand through her hair with a smile before he pulls up the blanket between him and her mother who is turned in their direction but is fast asleep.  
He pulls Melissa up again and puts her down close to her mother.  
She lies down and her father pushes her even a little closer to her mother, so they are touching now before he puts the blanket over them again.  
He drops a kiss on her head and then lies down next to her again, moves a little closer as well but not as close as he has pushed her and her mother together.  
“Are you all good?”  
“I am,” Melissa whispers and she definitely is. How can’t she be with being snuggled up to her mother and her father close as well?  
“Good,” her father answers and she hears his smile.

She never thinks much about the way she sleeps in her parents’ bed. But one day she does and she realizes that both of them make sure she is close to the other one. She knows that it has nothing to do with them not wanting her close to themselves or anything. It’s about them wanting Melissa to feel and be safe. And for them the safest place on earth is with the other one.


	6. The fort

Beck has almost been sure the three-year-old has fallen asleep in his arms. Jade’s under the shower and Beck has read a book to their daughter on the couch. After he has finished, Melissa has said it’s beautiful but since then she has been lying silently in his arms which isn’t all that typical for her. She’s a young child after all and children always seem to have to say or ask so much.  
Possibly, Beck is also close to fall asleep when the girl suddenly says: “Let’s build a fort.”  
“What?” Beck asks confused and Melissa sits up on top of him and looks down to him with eyes full of excitement like they usually are.  
“I told you we built a fort in preschool yesterday. But it was too small. You promised we would build a bigger one,” she explains and he has no idea how she remembered that at this very moment but it’s true that he has promised her that yesterday at dinner.  
“And you want to do that now?” he asks and quickly checks the clock. Well, it’s still early enough to start something like that. Though he wishes she would have remembered earlier. They would’ve had the whole day, all three of them, as it’s Saturday and neither he nor Jade had to go work today. (She has become a regular in a horror series, while he works as a waiter again for two weeks now. They don’t necessarily need the money from his job but both believe it’s better to be safe than sorry one day.)  
Melissa nods and then already stands up: “Definitely. Let’s start!”  
Well... It’s not like he can ever refuse her anything, so... They will apparently build a fort.  
He also stands up and suggests: “Should I get two chairs from the dinner table, so we can put the blankets over them?”  
She nods wildly while she already grabs the blanket.  
He does get the chairs and as soon as he wants to put them down, she tells him: “You have to put them near the couch.”  
“We want to involve the couch as well?”  
“Of course, Daddy,” she answers in that way that almost makes him chuckle every time because it sounds so much like her mother, especially with that little eye roll she also does. “We want to use the whole living room.”  
“You’re the boss,” he says and she hums happily as she herself moves one of the chairs closer.  
It’s then that Jade comes in, already in her pajamas after her shower, directly raising her eyebrows at what she sees. “What are you doing?”  
“We’re building a fort, Mommy!” Melissa explains and Beck looks amused to Jade. She returns the look, her eyebrows still raised, and he nods as earnestly as possible: “We’re building a fort, babe. As you can see.”  
Jade looks back to Melissa, who’s back at work, then she says: “Well, this is not enough stuff to build a good fort. I’ll get us more blankets and pillows.”  
Beck grins wildely as Jade leaves. He helps Melissa drapping the blanket of the couch over one of the chairs, when Jade already comes back. She of course has been in their bedroom and has gotten every blanket and pillow out of there she could find.  
“We also need to make the inside of the fort comfortable,” she explains which makes Melissa squeal out of excitement.  
It takes them almost an hour together to build a big, comfy fort, they are all satisfied with. It of course doesn’t fill the whole living room, not even slightly but Beck has still never seen a fort like that. As all of them crawl inside they fit quite well together and Beck loves it so much inside.  
“This is an awesome fort!” Melissa exclaims and Beck nods: “It is. We’ve done a good job, haven’t we?”  
Melissa hums happily again while Beck looks at Jade who has done the most work on this, has thought it through the most and has directed them. He has never seen her build a fort before or even talk about it. He has never known if she ever had built a fort of her own. But surely, she has, possibly even quite a few, and she is obviously good at it. As if there’s ever something she’s not good at. He loves her even more for being able to do this.  
She has to know by his eyes, at least she smiles slightly as she looks back, and a second later their lips meet for a soft kiss.  
They are broken apart by their daughter’s voice, all excited again as if she has just gotten another great idea – which she has: “Mommy, Daddy? Can we sleep in here?”  
Beck promptly has to smile. “Sure.” It definitely looks comfortable enough and sounds so good and like fun.  
“If you want to,” Jade says and shrugs and when Melissa nods again, she nods as well: “Then, you can already get your bunny, so it can sleep here as well.”  
Melissa claps in her hands and quickly gets out. The stuffed bunny her grandmother has gotten her two years ago is her absolute favorite stuffed animal at the moment and she only sleeps without it in their bed. Though Beck would have guessed she also could’ve slept without it here as both of them would also be here.  
But probably, Jade has just wanted to be alone with him for a second as she must have known Melissa would instantly get the bunny as soon as she would mention it.  
Now, Jade almost looks judgingly at Beck though he can still see that certain glint in her eye through the light that gets in. “I can’t believe we will sleep in a fort in our living room.”  
“You love it,” he replies and pushes her down onto the floor, that’s covered by some of their blankets, as he kisses her. “And I have to say: You’re a fantastic builder of forts.”  
“I know,” she says confidently, has put her hands in his neck and pulls him down for another kiss. “One of my many hidden talents.”  
“I love it. And I love you,” he says and they share another kiss before Jade whispers back: “I love you, too.”  
And then, they already hear Melissa coming back. They share another short kiss before they both sit up again.  
Melissa goes to sleep soon inside the fort and Beck and Jade still leave it for a while after, watch TV, before they join their daughter again.  
As he lies there, in the middle of their living room on the floor, and thinks back on the great evening, on building the fort and now lying in it, Beck knows he will soon influence his daughter to want to build another fort. It’s just great to have a good reason to do things like this again – and do it with such an amazing little girl and with such an amazing woman by your side.


	7. Class reunion

Meredith has made it. She’s actually working in the fashion business under a great label in Paris now and is doing really well. And she’s only 28 years old, so she’s sure she will go even further up.  
But she already feels proud as she’s back in the hallways of Hollywood Arts just now and feels excited to tell her teachers and all her classmates with whom she’s barely connected anymore because of her amazing career as she has barely time anymore.  
She’s especially excited as she hasn’t gotten back to their five year reunion because of work. Now, it’s their ten year reunion.  
It’s tradition for reunions at Hollywood Arts that everyone meets inside the school with their spouses or significant others and their children. The teachers are also always there to talk to everyone. After two or three hours, the aluminis regularly go into a close restaurant together where someone reserves seats beforehand for as many people as will probably stay, based on experience.  
Meredith thinks she also will stay for dinner. At least, she now already loves every second of the reunion, has already caught up with a few old friends.  
She wants to get herself a drink which are handed out at various spots in the hallways for a small price, when she suddenly sees him. Beck.  
She stops in her tracks. Is that seriously him? She can’t believe it but he’s even more handsome now than back when they were in school. He has tied up his hair in the back and wears a beard that looks ridiculously attractive though she usually doesn’t like those.  
Just now, he pushes a few loose strands of hair out of his face – his hair that‘s still gorgeous –, while he speaks with Sikowitz and a few women. Or just Sikowitz. Meredith isn’t sure if the other women, who she recognizes as some of those former classmates that always had a crush on Beck, aren’t just trying to be close to Beck without him realizing.  
She has sometimes thought about Beck over the last ten years. And yes, maybe she has imagined sometimes that they would meet again by accident or fate and would fall in love. If someone would have asked her over the time how she would describe her perfect man, she possibly always would have thought about Beck because he never was just good-looking but also nice and friendly and helpful, so relaxed and patient.  
But she hasn’t stalked him even the slightest. She hasn’t even followed him on social media or anything. The few times she has thought about him, she has decided she wouldn’t want to be that kind of woman. She has watched a movie she has seen a trailer off on her TV, in which he had a quite good role.  
But she doesn’t know anything more about his life except that he obviously tries to follow his dream of being an actor.  
She’s sure he can have enough of those women who know more, who think they know him better than anyone as they creepily follow his every step. These former female classmates now standing with him are proof of that. She isn’t one of them.  
She now steps closer to say hi to him and finally can hear what Sikowitz and he are talking about it.  
“You will go back on Sunday?” Sikowitz asks just now.  
It’s Friday afternoon. The students all had a short day today.  
“I will,” Beck answers. “But luckily only very late as I have to be back the next night. And it’s only two more weeks after that.”  
“It has to be great to film at so many actual locations,” Sikowitz notices and Beck promptly nods: “It is but it’s also always great to be home, especially with these different time zones.”  
Meredith can’t help but wonder what exactly Beck is filming at the moment and where. It does sound good that he films something else, so he may have succeeded in being an actor like she succeeded in the fashion industry.  
“Hi, Beck,” she now happily says as she finally steps up to him. She can’t wait to tell him about her career and to see his reaction. He will be impressed, won’t he?  
“Hey, uhm... Meredith,” Beck answers, shoots her a smile before he turns back to Sikowitz. Oh, the games men like to play. As if he had to think about her name! She has more experience with men now than back when she was seventeen and she knows this is just a trick.  
“What’s after this one?” Sikowitz asks, continuing their talk as if Meredith hasn’t interrupted them.  
“I may have a small role in another movie lined up but...” Beck starts saying but stops talking and Meredith knows why.  
There is a squeal: “Daddy!” And he has barely time to turn around when a little girl with dark hair already jumps in his arms. She may be about four years old and Beck directly hugs her tightly with a smile that’s more gorgeous than everything else Meredith has ever seen.  
“Sweetie! It’s so great to see you.”  
“I missed you,” the little girl says, drawing back a little, still sitting in Beck’s arms but now looking into his face.  
“I missed you, too,” Beck says. “So much.”  
He gives her a kiss on the cheek and Meredith has to say that it makes Beck even more attractive. Men with children are somehow always sexy for her. And seeing this handsome man with this adorable little girl, so lovingly...  
She only realizes what this has to mean when Beck pulls the girl into another close hug but then expectantly looks over her shoulder.  
Meredith turns around and there is noone else than Jade who walks up to them in that way she has always walked, as if she owns the place.  
Jade shortly looks over their group before she returns Beck’s look who smiles as she steps right in front of him. She lies both her hands on his cheeks and pulls him into a much too long kiss.  
“Hey, babe,” Meredith then hears him whisper and Jade answer: “Hey.”  
“Sorry, I didn’t pick you guys up,” Beck says. “I thought you would already be here.”  
Jade slightly shakes her head. “Don’t worry. I ran a little bit late but we’re fine. Just happy to see you again.”  
They share another kiss before Jade looks over the other women and Meredith again with almost her typical glare, and then settles her eyes on their former teacher who has watched their greeting smiling: “Hi, Sikowitz.”  
And this just can’t be true, can it? Jade and Beck can’t still be together, can they? Beck must have realized by now that Jade isn’t the right girl for him. Beck deserves so much better than her.  
But now that she looks at the little girl in Beck’s arm... That could very well be both of their daughter. But that just can’t be true!  
“Hello there, Jade,” Sikowitz answers. “And hello, Melissa.” The little girl has pulled back a little from Beck again, doesn’t hug him anymore, just sits in his arms and looks back at Sikowitz as well. “You’ve grown quite a lot since I’ve seen you last.”  
“We saw each other just last month,” the girl claims, narrowing her eyes.  
“We did?” Sikowitz says like he’s surprised though Meredith is almost sure he isn’t. But who really ever knows with Sikowitz.  
“Yes,” Melissa says and rolls her eyes in a way that somehow reminds Meredith of Jade. It makes her a little sick because this girl does sit in Beck’s arms and why hasn’t she got a child with him that now sits in his arms – and that wouldn’t roll her eyes like that but would be a more happy and nice child. Though Melissa still is adorable. But she probably will turn out just like Jade and Beck also deserves better in a daughter.  
Sikowitz smiles though. “Well. You’ve still grown quite a lot. How are you?”  
“Fine,” Melissa answers and then tuns back to Beck: “How long will you stay?”  
“The whole weekend,” Beck says with a voice as if that’s really an extremely long time and Melissa does a little cheer. “And then, it’s only two more weeks in Europe and I’ll be at home again.”  
Europe. He actually is filming in Europe. That’s fate, right? Though he’s married and has a child now. Can that really be fate between them?  
Jade rubs Melissa’s back with a small smile, that doesn’t remind Meredith of the Jade she knows, while the girl happily hugs Beck again.  
Sikowitz turns to Jade again: “How was your directing?”  
“Good,” Jade answers. “It was fun. And they told me they probably want me to do it again next season.”  
“You are wrapping now, aren’t you?”  
Jade nods. “Yes, we started to film the last episode. We’re a little behind the time but whatever. And as we’re already picked up for another season, everyone is calm and happy for the break to come.”  
“You’re really good in that show,” Sikowitz says. “I still think you should stay with acting. You’re great.”  
Jade doesn’t even thank their former teacher for that compliment. Typical.  
Instead she shrugs: “I will at least partly. As long as they want me back, I will be. But I also would like direct more. And I absolutely would love to finally write again.”  
She shares a look with Beck who smiles at her in that loving way he has also so often looked at her back in school.  
Sikowitz nods again. “Well, I hope everything will work out like you want it to. But am I gathering it right, then? You will be on break at the same time when Beck also isn’t filming? So, you pretty much have a break at the same time?”  
Jade and Beck share another look before Beck says, sounding extremely happy: “Yes, for the first time after about one and a half years.”  
“Will you do another job during your break?” Sikowitz asks Jade again.  
She answers: “No. We’ll use that time together.” Only for a moment, she hesitates, then: “And I’m actually pregnant.”  
And suddenly, there’s a beautiful smile on Jade’s face that Meredith has never seen before and that doesn’t look as if Jade has planned on it or wanted it.  
“You are?” Sikowitz asks excited. “Congratulations! How far along are you?”  
Meredith doesn’t feel good about these news, especially with the way Beck looks at Jade at that. Though at the same time, this look, the warm smile with those bright eyes, are to die for.  
Jade shortly glances at the other women and maybe decides she won’t tell anything private, at least she just states: “Far enough. I learned to hide it with my clothes for the show.”  
“Oh, yeah. How will that work with the show?” Sikowitz asks.  
Jade answers: “They already know and talk about the plot for the next season and maybe I won’t be in one or two episodes but I hope they can do a lot with the schedule for filming and possibly work around it. I don’t want to leave for too much time.”  
“I will stay home,” Beck intervenes with a smile, looking from Jade to Sikowitz. “That’s why I took one more small job but won’t audition for anything big until we can make it work again with a newborn child.”  
And how much more perfect can he get? Of course, he will stay home for his children. He’s such a good man!  
Sikowitz smiles as well: “You both do an excellent job with Melissa. I’m sure you will manage.”  
Beck and Jade share a look, that’s too loving in Meredith’s opinion, but that’s also the moment, Melissa notices: “Uncle Andre is here.”  
Obviously, she has been bored by the talk and has looked around.  
Everyone follows her gaze now and see Andre as well, talking to a former classmate.  
“He is,” Beck says and puts her down. “Why don’t you go over and say hi?”  
“Come with me,” she says without hesitation, grabbing his hand. And she does sound too much like Jade there as well.  
Beck looks amused as he glances at Jade and Sikowitz. “I guess I will say hi to Andre. Coming with?”  
He means Jade who nods, but then also looks expectantly at Sikowitz but he says: “I’ll greet some other people. But we’ll surely meet again.”  
He’s off and Beck, Jade and Melissa go over to Andre.  
Meredith follows them with her eyes before she looks over to the other women who also look after them but seem happy as they do.  
“Did you know they were married and had a child?” she asks them.  
They finally look at her, all a little confused.  
“Yeah,” Jennifer says and Tamara nods as well: “They attend most red carpet events together. And Melissa comes up in interviews. But she really looks so much like him and he is so adorable with her!” The other three also nod excitedly.  
“Right?” Joan says with lit up eyes.  
“I know!” Grace adds.  
Yes, he is cute with her and the girl probably does look a lot like him though she also has seen a lot of Jade in her. But as she now slowly gets over the shock of them being married and having a child (and a second on the way), she thinks she also can appreciate how she looks like him and he’s just great with her.  
But he’s married and does have a child. And the others have known and they’ve still gotten right next to him, still have possibly tried talking to him.  
“And you’re still...” she slowly says.  
Jennifer shrugs. “He wouldn’t be the fist guy to divorce his wife for someone better.”  
That’s definitely true. And Meredith knows she’s better than Jade.

She takes her chance as Beck is getting drinks. He has his daughter in his arms again but he also never seem to go anywhere without her here. Well, she apparently hasn’t seen him for quite a few days, so she probably wants to stay close to him.  
At least, Jade is finally not with him anymore, so Meredith apporaches him.  
“Hey, Beck.”  
“Hi, Meredith,” Beck answers when he sees her. “We didn’t come around to talk, did we?”  
“No, we didn’t,” she says.  
Beck nods to his daughter in his arms. “As you have probably gathered, this is my daughter Melissa. This is Meredith, another former class mate.” And they have been on a date but whatever... She probably can’t expect him to say that in front of his daughter who watches her curiously.  
“Hey, there,” Meredith says to her with a warm smile, then she looks back to Beck: “Well, Beck... I heard something about you doing a movie at the moment.”  
“Yeah, we’re nearly done now,” he answers.  
“Where are you filming?” she asks interested.  
“In Italy.”  
And this has to be fate. They met here and will be both in Europe the next two weeks for work. Of course, it’s awful that she hasn’t known he would be there for the last few weeks but she still has a chance with this. Far away from Jade’s influence.  
“I live in Paris now,” she says and is sure that that impresses him though he doesn’t show. But living in Paris... That is impressive. “Maybe, we could meet up?”  
Beck smiles. “Ah, I’ve only got two weeks left there and my calender is full of work.”  
But with the way he smiles, she’s sure this isn’t a rejection of any sort. He probably really just has to work so much.  
She looks for another way to meet him when he already continues: “But tell me more about you. Does your father still has that cupcake store?”  
“He has,” she answers. She feels good that he remembers about her father. Maybe, he has thought about her over the last few years every now and then as well.  
Suddenly, Melissa speaks up, with lit up eyes: “Your father owns a cupcake store?”  
“He does,” she says with a smile. Okay, the little girl does look a little like Beck there. And really adorable.  
“That’s so cool,” Melissa says happily.  
Beck looks at her amused: “Much cooler than having an actor as a father, huh?”  
“Daddy! It’s cupcakes!” she instantly says and he chuckles: “I know, sweet tooth.”  
Meredith addresses Melissa now as well: “I’m sure I could tell my father to give you a discount.” As Beck obviously loves Melissa more than anything, winning her over could possibly be the way into his heart.  
Melissa looks delighted but Beck answers: “I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the store. We have a few we love very much.”  
She knows this is about Jade. Jade is so controlling. She’s sure that she’s so controlling that Beck doesn’t even dare going into her father’s store for their daughter.  
But she guesses this isn’t something she should talk about right now. Beck is a good man and would probably defend Jade, so... Back to trying to get him alone somewhere to talk to him more.  
“Anyway... About your movie...” she says. “Maybe, I could come by and you could give me a tour of the set.”  
She touches his arm as casually as she can.  
Beck looks down at it for a second, slightly moves to the side as he starts: “I...”  
But they get interrupted in the same moment: “What’s taking you so long?”  
It’s Jade, who has appeared out of nowhere next to Beck and is talking in her sweetest voice that’s so damn fake. She puts her arm around Beck and bats her eyelashes at him.  
Why has she had to appear at this very moment?  
“We were having a talk here!” Meredith tells her and it’s only then that Jade looks at her, glaringly, lets her arm fall down from Beck’s shoulder and says in her coldest voice: “Yeah, right. Talk’s over. Get away.”  
“Babe. It was just a talk,” Beck says, rubbing her arm soothingly.  
“It wasn’t and you know it,” Jade tells him and turns back to Meredith: “Be hung up on him all you want but flirting with a married man while he has his daughter in his arms? Really?”  
Meredith shortly shoots Melissa a look who has her eyes settled on her mother, not afraid but possibly worried, before she defends herself: “I didn’t flirt.”  
“Oh, yes, you did. And I swear...” Jade takes a step closer to her but Beck holds her back with the arm that’s not holding Melissa and interrupts her: “Babe.”  
And this is ridiculous. Jade is ridiculous and always has been. Beck has always deserved better.  
She says: “I wouldn’t have to flirt with him with that child in his arms if you wouldn’t control his life. He doesn’t even dare to meet me in Europe because he knows how you will freak out. He doesn’t even dare going into my father’s store with her because of you!”  
“What?” Jade replies in a threatening tone as she’s about to take another step closer to her and Meredith almost backs away.  
But Beck stops her again. “Babe.”  
She grits her teeth and he looks at Melissa: “Sweetie? Could you please run over to Auntie Tori?”  
“Is everything alright?” the girl asks, shortly looking at her father, then her mother again who doesn’t take her eyes away from Meredith, still glaring.  
“Everything will be, sweetie,” Beck assures her as he puts her down.  
She looks at her father again before she obeys and runs off for Tori.  
It’s only when she’s out of earshot that Jade speaks again: “Nothing will be.”  
“Jade, come on. Please,” Beck says, grabbing her arm again.  
Jade doesn’t look at him but still keeps her eyes on Meredith which she doesn’t like at all. “Did you hear what she just said?”  
Now, Meredith has to speak up again. “Yeah, and do you realize that he hasn’t defended you because he knows it’s true?”  
Jade definitely looks as if she wants to attack her for that but Beck still holds her back. “Jade.”  
Then, he turns to Meredith and calmly states: “I don’t defend her because I know it’s not true. And it’s not important what you think. I don’t want to meet you. I would have loved to have a little chat because that’s kind of what this reunion is about but obviously you want to interpret more into it. So, no, we can never meet up anywhere. And it is quite inappropriate, flirting with me in front of my daughter.”  
“I...” Meredith starts. She can’t believe that Beck is indeed defending Jade and accusing Meredith. This is not her fault. She isn’t a bad person. Maybe, it hasn’t been right for her to approach Beck while he has been with his daughter but... She hasn’t had another chance and he also has done inappropriate things in his life. To her as well. “You are the one who kissed her on our date.”  
Beck seems surprised about this comeback but calmly says: “And I told you I was sorry for that. I don’t know what else to say about it. Particularly as it’s been eleven years.”  
“And it should give you a hint with whom he actually wants to be with,” Jade spits out.  
Beck rubs her arm again. “Come on, babe.”  
He is about to turn around and drag her with him but Jade still glares at Meredith. “I swear if you flirt with him one more time, especially while our daughter is with him and has to witness, I will destroy your life. I heard you’re doing something with fashion nowadays? Guess what. Thanks to my jobs and to Beck’s and all the red carpet events we’ve been to, I know quite a few people. I can and will ensure that you’ll never get any kind of job ever again.”  
Meredith feels cold because of the threat, and Jade looks further to Meredith’s side. She notices that Jennifer, Tamara, Grace and Joan are standing close. Maybe, they have already listened into Meredith’s and Beck’s talk, maybe they have wanted to get themselves involved before Jade came along. While Meredith hasn’t noticed them before, Jade obviously has and wants to make sure they know she also directs that threat at them.  
Only then, she turns around and goes, Beck by her side.  
Meredith can still hear them though, as they go in the direction of Melissa, Tori and two other former classmates whose talk can also be heard from Meredith’s position if you concentrate.  
“In front of Melissa!”  
“I know,” she hears Beck answer and Jade again: “I mean... I’m okay with all your on screen love interests and the stupid flirting in interviews because that’s just how it is. But this is awful. They do think they can get with you. While she’s in your arms.”  
“I know. But they never will. I love you.”  
“I know,” Jade answers.  
Behind her, Meredith hears Jennifer spits out: “What does she think? She doesn’t own Beck!”  
But Meredith starts to see that she does while she picks up her daughter, and the girl asks again if everything is okay. Jade just huffs and Melissa says that she also doesn’t like Meredith. Beck laughs and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Yes, maybe Jade does own Beck and has owned him all along.


	8. Evening with friends

Tori arrives later as expected but she has truthfully spent some time with her boyfriend. He also could’ve come with her here but she has decided that would be stupid. They aren’t together for that long and it’s finally all of her friends at the same spot at the same time again and her boyfriend isn’t really part of that group. Andre’s girlfriend is a little by now who he’s pretty serious about for a year but she also won’t be here today, Tori knows. She has to work, so it’s really just the six of them and Jade and Beck’s beautiful two daughters.  
They haven’t all been together since before Sophia’s birth. The little girl is now already five months old. Though they of course all have seen each other over the time, just never at the same time.  
Now, she rings the door bell to Beck and Jade’s new home.  
It’s the five-year-old Melissa who opens the door excited, Beck right behind her though.  
“Aunt Tori!” she says happily and jumps up into Tori’s arms.  
“Hey, Lizzy! How are you?” she asks the little girl while she hugs her.  
“Great,” she answers and with a smile Tori also hugs Beck, after she has stepped inside and Beck has closed the door behind her.  
Beck and Jade live in a beautiful house now, the stairs are right in front of her, and a few steps in and then to the right the living room and kitchen opens. They definitely like places with some sort of hall- or entryways, so you can’t directly look into the living room when you’re at the front door.  
That’s why Tori needs to take a few more steps until she sees her other friends. Robbie, Andre and Cat are already there – Cat has Sophia in her arms –, Jade isn’t though.  
Tori hugs everyone without letting Melissa down, then she sits down with her on one of the chairs, takes the drink Beck offers before she finally asks: “Where’s Jade?”  
“Mommy’s still working,” Melissa instantly answers and Beck adds: “She had to film a scene today after all. But she will be back any minute now.”  
Tori nods and wants to go on asking why there is a balloon giraffe on the coffee table. She could imagine Cat bringing it for some reason but who knows what’s the story behind it. But Andre already asks her at that moment: “How was your day? Why are you so late?”  
She of course answers a little, while Cat gives Sophia to Andre, and Melissa picks up on Tori saying a few things about her boyfriend and tells all of them about her new friend in preschool who has just moved close-by.  
Robbie just wants to comment on that when they all hear the sound of the door and Melissa excitedly turns to Beck: “Is that Mommy?”  
“Go look,” Beck says with a smile. It can’t be anyone else.  
Melissa hops from Tori’s lap and runs to the entryway where she instantly squeals: “Mommy!”  
“Well, I guess it’s Jade,” Andre says with a grin and Beck grins as well: “It seems that way.”  
They hear the front door being closed and Jade’s voice: “Hey, sweetie. How are you?”  
“Great! Everybody is already here. You are the last one,” Melissa tells her and they hear the smirk in Jade’s answer: “I know.”  
It doesn’t take her any longer to finally come into the living room where all of them sit, Melissa in her arms.  
“Hey,” she says and everyone answers the greeting. Cat is already up her feet the next second and runs up to her to hug her.  
Jade returns the hug, then goes around, hugs Robbie, then Tori and finally Andre. She only shortly touches the head of the little girl in his arms with her hand before she goes over to Beck, to the corner of the couch and lets herself fall right next to him where he has already put up his arm to put it around her.  
“Hey, babe,” he whispers and they share a long kiss before she looks to the coffee table: “So, what’s that?”  
She clearly means the balloon giraffe and Melissa instantly jumps up, grabs it and sits down back on her mother’s lap, turned to her while Jade puts her own legs over Beck’s lap and moves even closer to him.  
“Daddy and I were in the park today,” she explains happily. “There was a woman who liked Daddy.”  
Woah, that wasn’t the right thing to say.  
Tori watches Jade cock an eyebrow, looking over to Beck. “There was a woman, huh?”  
“It’s not what you think,” Beck says with a soft smile, rubbing their daughter’s back lightly and saying: “She was a clown.”  
“You flirted with a clown?” Jade asks, now amused.  
Tori has to grin as well but Melissa seems confused: “Daddy didn’t flirt with her. She did know him from his movies though. They made a photo together and then, she made me lots and lots of balloon animals while they talked.”  
“I payed for them,” Beck assures Jade as if he doesn’t want her to believe he gets stuff for free for their daughter in flirting with other women.  
Melissa nods. “And we gave the other balloon animals to the other kids. But I kept this one and it’s for you, Mommy. Because you couldn’t be there today and missed all the fun.”  
“That’s really sweet of you. Thank you,” Jade tells her with a smile that seems to be reserved for just her, Sophia and Beck. Just like that easy thank you is only for her.  
She gives her a kiss on the cheek and Melissa looks happy about it, goes in for a close hug and then just stays there.  
Beck smiles. “Well, now that you’re up to date about our exciting day...” That makes Jade smirk which apparently has been Beck’s goal. “How was yours?”  
Jade’s eyes light up as she answers: “Oh, we’ve filmed a scene that will be so creepy.”  
Which definitely means she has had an extremely good day.  
Robbie now speaks up: “I’ve finally caught up with your last two episodes yesterday and I nearly pissed my pants.”  
Jade raises her eyebrows. “Only nearly? I have to talk to everyone on our show then that we’re not good enough. I mean... You nearly piss your pants when I look at you.”  
“Not true,” Robbie instantly defends himself but the next second Jade glares at him and he makes a frightend noise.  
Of course, Cat, Andre, Beck and Tori have to laugh. Jade’s always able to frighten Robbie. Tori’s sure she will also forever be able to frighten her and Andre as well if she really really wants to.  
Jade smirks satisfied when suddenly Melissa, who has pulled back slightly from Jade again by now, raises her voice: “When can I watch your show?”  
Jade’s expression gets slightly softer like it almost always does when she talks to Melissa. She goes with a hand through the hair of the girl while she says: “You saw a little bit of it when you were on set with me last week.”  
Cat chirps in: “That’s better than on TV. You saw it live.”  
Melissa doesn’t seem convinced that that’s better than watching it on TV. “It wasn’t scary though.”  
Jade smirks again. “Then you see what a wuss your uncle Robbie is.”  
“Hey!” Robbie says and Tori has to laugh lightly again, especially as she knows that Robbie isn’t particularly hurt by the comment. Tori knows the feeling. It’s much easier to not get offended about the harsh words Jade throws at you every now and then if she calls you the aunt or uncle of her daughter in the same breath.  
“Or you see what a brave little girl you are,” Beck suggests and that makes Melissa smile happily again as she leans back against Jade.  
That seems to be enough for her for now. She won’t bother her parents about wanting to watch Jade’s show for the next few days or even weeks, with a lot of luck also months. Tori’s sure they won’t let her watch that show for a few more years if they can help it. It’s definitely not for a child to watch and both Beck and Jade seem to want to keep it at that though Jade otherwise doesn’t hold back much around her daughter.  
Andre also seems to know that that’s that for Melissa, and he changes the topic a little: “Oh, talking about something scary...”  
He gets into a story about a group of people he has met recently and promptly they talk about weird people. While they do that, Andre gives Sophia to Tori who happily takes her and talks a little just to her.  
It’s after a while that Sophia gets uneasy in her arms, suddenly whines a little. Melissa notices and says: “I bet she’s hungry.”  
She’s still sitting on her mother’s lap, leaning against her. Jade now also nods: “I bet she is. Would you go to your Daddy?”  
She slightly pushes her away from herself as she takes her own legs out of Beck’s lap and down from the couch altogether.  
Melissa doesn’t look happy about it but Beck promptly grabs her and pulls her over to him and she lets it happen without complaining.  
Jade stands up. “Let me have her,” she says to Tori and of course she gives Sophia into Jade’s arms.  
Jade turns to Beck. “I’ll also put her into bed after, yeah?” Beck nods and everyone is telling Sophia to have a good night and sleep well as Jade leaves with the baby.  
“Aaaanyway,” Melissa says as soon as Jade is gone. “I want to play a game.”  
“Do you now?” Beck asks her amused while Cat is instantly excited again: “Yes. Wanna play Memory? We can all play.”  
Melissa’s eyes light up as she nods wildly and Beck smiles: “You can play. Catch it, Lizzy?”  
Melissa does stand up to get the game out of the cupboard next to the TV. While she does that, she says however: “Everyone has to play.”  
Andre sounds as amused as Tori feels as he says to Beck: “You heard her. Everyone has to play.”  
They all know: If Melissa wants every one of them to play, they all will. Sometimes, Tori has to smile about how Melissa has Beck and Jade wrapped around her little finger, especially Beck. But in the end, Melissa seems to have everyone wrapped around her finger.  
The little girl has now brought the game and starts spreading all the cards over the table as she says: “We should also wait for Mommy.”  
Cat helps her shuffle the card while Beck answers: “I bet we can get a whole game done before she’s back. She can join us for a second.”  
Melissa shrugs. “Fine.” She sits down on the floor and leans her back against the couch. Beck runs his hand through her hair while Andre says: “I don’t think we have enough cards to play with so many people.”  
Sure enough, they are six people playing and the cards could possibly not suffice for everyone to get a try.  
“I think we’ll manage,” Beck says however and they do. It’s also not like anyone plays seriously except Melissa. She wins in the end and Tori is sure it isn’t right to always let children win because they do have to learn to loose but she also knows she never wants to be the one to teach Melissa that lesson.  
Now, the little girl looks in the direction of theopening to the stairs. “Where’s Mommy?”  
“She’s probably still taking care of your little sister,” Beck says. “How about we play another round without her? I bet she’ll be with us right after that.”  
Melissa looks to the stairs for another few seconds. Tori has already gotten the feeling that Melissa is a little jealous of Sophia when she was over the last time. Neither Jade nor Beck have said anything like that but they both aren’t people to tattle much, especially about any possible problems with their children. But if Melissa truly is jealous, Tori guesses that’s understandable. She is five years old and the last five months must have been about Sophia a lot. It will go away. And it’s not like she has any big tantrums or anything. Not that Tori knows of anyway. And obviously, Jade and Beck are already taking care of it, now that Tori thinks about it. Jade hasn’t even taken her baby in her arms for a greeting after a few hours away, but has hold Melissa close the whole time. And Beck now speaks to her so softly and confidently.  
Melissa now also shrugs and looks back to her father: “Can we also play another game?”  
“If it’s a short one,” he answers. “You also have to go to bed soon.”  
Melissa promptly pouts. “I can also stay up.”  
Tori doesn’t understand how Beck can look back at her so calmly and answer: “I don’t think so.”  
Melissa doesn’t even look at her but she knows she would allow her to stay awake forever with that pout and that look in her eyes. Tori would have to look away from her to stay with a no, she’s sure.  
But Beck just looks back and Cat saves him from any begging by Melissa: “What else do you want to play, Lizzy?”  
The little girl instantly starts thinking about it and finally suggests: “How about... Hi Ho Cherry-O?”  
She looks around at everyone and finally again to her father who shrugs after seeing not one of his friends disapproving himself: “Sure. Go get it.”  
She does and Cat pushes everyone’s cards out of the way, so Melissa can put the playboard on the table.  
“But not everyone can play,” she notices and Andre shrugs: “I don’t need to play.”  
Melissa looks at him as if he has betrayed her: “You have to.”  
Andre raises his hands to surrender and Tori suggests amused: “Why don’t we make teams?” She remembers that they’ve always done that when she was little and the whole family was together. With her cousins and their parents and also the littlest cousins wanting to play though the games possibly were for older children, they’ve always made teams. And if there only were so many pieces to play, like there are only four here, it’s a good way to still have everyone at least seemingly involved.  
“Yes!” Melissa agrees excited. “I’ll be in a team with...” She looks at everyone with narrowed eyes, clearly debating with herself who would make the best teammate, then: “Uncle Robbie!”  
Robbie strikes a winner pose as he says: “Wise choice. I’m the best gamer here.”  
“I know,” Melissa confidently says in the same tone Jade likes to say it whenever Beck tells her he loves her. Then, she turns to the others again. “Well, and Uncle Andre be in a team with Aunt Tori, and... It doesn’t work.”  
She has scrunched up her face now and Tori is the first to ask: “Why?”  
“Because then, Aunt Cat would have to be alone,” Melissa says and Beck notices: “I would also be alone.”  
Melissa looks at him as if he was stupid. “No, you’ll be together with Mommy.”  
Beck shrugs. “Then let Mommy make a team with Cat.”  
Melissa shakes her head. “No, you will be together with her.”  
Tori smiles to herself and sees Andre amused as well when he intervenes: “I can manage on my own.”  
“Are you sure?” Melissa asks him and as he nods, she decides that that’s okay and starts appointing colors to each team.  
They want to start playing when Jade finally comes back.  
“Is she sleeping?” Beck asks her as she comes in and she answers: “She is.”  
They share a kiss while she sits down right next to him before she says: “You’re playing a game.”  
Melissa nods happily. “You’re playing with us. You’re on a team with Daddy.”  
Tori watches Beck bumping Jade’s shoulder teasingly. “You can’t worm your way out of it.”  
Of course Jade makes an “ugh” but there is a smile on her face that has once been relatively rare (at least in front of Tori) which now comes way easier, particularly when she’s with her children.  
They play two games of Hi Ho Cherry-O but when Melissa wants to get into another round and Cat and Robbie agree excitedly, Beck gently says: “It’s bedtime for you, Lizzy.”  
“No!” she says. “I wanna stay up.”  
“Come on. I’m sure you’re tired,” Beck tells her but she decisively shakes her head: “I’m not. And nobody else is. I wanna stay up with you.”  
“We all come back soon and will spend some more time with you,” Cat promises and Tori nods.  
Melissa never likes going to bed while someone is over. Tori gets it. She probably doesn’t want to miss anything.  
The little girl shakes her head again when Jade pulls her to herself. “Don’t worry, you won’t miss much. Now, do you want Daddy or me to bring you to bed?”  
Melissa pulls her eyebrows together and Tori herself thinks it’s a weird question. After all, Melissa still hasn’t agreed to go to bed.  
Funnily enough, Melissa seems to forget that as it suddenly isn’t an option anymore to just say no, and she decides: “Both of you.”  
Jade and Beck share a glance and Beck smiles: “Well, both of us. Then let’s go. I hope it’s okay if we leave you all alone for a few minutes.”  
Everyone is more than okay with it and they wish Melissa a good night, Jade says they’re not allowed to wander the house or touch anything while they aren’t around, then Beck, Jade and Melissa are gone.  
“I love her so much,” Cat squeals and Andre grins: “Who doesn’t?”  
“She’s so beautifully loud and wild and just alive,” Robbie also agrees.  
And everyone has noticed that a thousand times before but Tori has also wondered about that before and now just has to say: “I don’t know where she got that from. Not the alive part but the whole talking part.” After all, Jade and Beck are both calm in a sense and not very talkative. Melissa doesn’t seem to come after them at all.  
“Maybe, she got it from me,” Cat suggests. “I talk much.”  
The others look at her confused and Andre starts tidying up the game while he says, as if Cat hasn’t said anything: “Well, maybe one of them were like that when they were little. Maybe Melissa will grow out of it.”  
Robbie chuckles. “Imagine them as kids and talking like that.”  
Tori is sure, Robbie laughs because he promptly imagines them as smaller versions of them now, Jade in those dark clothes she still likes to wear best, both in their usual attitudes, and then being crazy excited about things. It doesn’t really fit with any of them.  
Tori starts helping Andre with the games and the other two also join in while Andre says: “Lizzy was especially hyper today, wasn’t she?”  
Tori nods. She also has had that feeling. Especially while they played the games. “I guess that’s understandable. We’re all over at the same time for the first time in months.” Four people being over when you’re just five years old, always has to be exciting.  
“That’s true,” Andre agrees and Cat nods: “I also wouldn’t want to go to bed while you would keep talking.”  
They have to laugh about that and somehow get into another topic after that.  
Jade and Beck take a lot of time but they come back hand in hand and Andre directly asks them: “Does she feel like she can sleep with everyone of us still being here?”  
Beck smiles as he sits down and puts his arm around Jade as she sits next to him. “I hope so.”  
Jade leans into him and Beck rubs her arm while he continues: “Well, you told us we shouldn’t bring them to our parents.”  
It’s as if he wants to say that it’s their own fault for having to deal with Melissa – as if anyone has told them the little girl went on their nerves.  
They texted in their group chat about this get-together and when they had picked out a night that worked for everyone, Beck texted them that they didn’t know yet if someone could take Melissa and Sophia for that night. They promptly replied that they could also meet up at their place and the girls could stay home if Beck and Jade themselves wouldn’t have a problem with it. They hadn’t had.  
“It’s great to have them around,” Tori now honestly says. They all love those girls to death.  
Cat nods. “They are as much as part of our group as every one of us is.” Well, Tori never thought about it like that but she guesses that that’s true.  
Robbie meanwhile looks at Jade. “You also don’t see much of them with your schedule at the time, do you?”  
It’s true that Jade’s filming is all over the place at the moment. And she especially films in the afternoons or later while Melissa is in preschool every morning.  
Jade shrugs. “Yeah, it’s crazy at the moment.”  
She doesn’t elaborate on it though – as she ever would in front of all of them - , instead just turns to Beck, her head still mostly on his shoulder, and he turns to her and they share a kiss.  
Tori thinks it’s amazing how close they still are, how much they are still in love after all those years, after they started dating 14 years ago, got engaged 10 years ago, got married 8 years ago. As much as Jade and Beck’s relationship isn’t one Tori would like to have with the fighting and sarcasm and everything it still consists of, she does hope that she will be as much in love with her boyfriend, as close with him, 14 years and more into their relationship.


	9. Do you love Dad?

It’s a stressful day. But Beck and Jade have gotten used to that kind of stress before the birth of their second child.  
With both of them working and having to take care of Melissa, they have often had situations where one has gotten home and the other has left at the same time, just sort of handing Melissa over.  
Beck has decided to stay home for a while when their second child was born, not go to new casting anymore until it would get easier again and their second child would be old enough that they would feel comfortable leaving her with their parents more often as well.  
But a producer has called Beck knows from two movies he’s done and has asked for a meeting. Jade has told him to go and listen to what the man would have to say. Maybe, they could make it work like they have made work everything before.  
She has managed to only have to film scenes until lunch, then being able to get home, so Beck could leave. Though he is supposed to be back until dinner because the cast of the series has planned on going to eat together. And of course Jade could miss it, it isn’t that important but she would rather go because the cast is quite close and usually they also talk about their characters which is always interesting.  
At the moment, she’s hurrying home. She’s running a little late and she always hates that.  
As soon as she enters the house and calls into it that she’s home, Melissa already comes running up to her happily.  
“Hey, Mom,” the six-year-old says as she jumps into her mother’s arms.  
“Hey, sweetie,” she answers and puts a kiss on her cheek. “How are you?”  
“Great,” Melissa replies with those shining eyes she has so often and which makes Jade smile a little wider.  
“Hey, babe.” Beck comes into the hallway now as well and Jade feels this warm feeling she always feels when she sees him: “Hey.”  
They share a short kiss before Beck gently asks: “How was your day?”  
Jade definitely wants to talk about it, to tell him about that awesome scene she has filmed today where she was covered in fake blood (which took longer than expected to wash off which is why she was late) but she knows what time it is already, so... “I’ll tell you later. You should go now.”  
Beck looks at her for a moment but of course he knows she’s right. He doesn’t want to be late to meet that producer.  
They share another kiss before he pulls on his jacket while he says: “Both girls have already eaten and Sophia’s sleeping in her room.”  
Jade nods slightly to show she has listened. Then he puts on his shoes and informs her further: “Your mother has called and has asked us if we’ll visit soon. I’ve told her we’ll talk about it and one of us will call her tomorrow or the day after.”  
“Ugh,” Jade says and Beck continues with a smile: “Ironically, my mother has called only shortly after to ask if we want to come over for dinner soon. I’ve told her the same as your mom.”  
Jade rolls her eyes. “Why don’t they just meet and eat dinner together without us if they need company so badly.”  
Beck’s smile gets wider. They both know Jade doesn’t mean that. Family is important to her. She loves her mother. And the relationship between her and Beck’s parents has gotten much better over the last few years but everyone also do their best for it.  
Beck now grabs his keys before he looks at Jade and Melissa again. “Well... I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  
Jade shakes her head. “Don’t worry if it’s getting late. I can go to dinner later or not at all if it just doesn’t work out.”  
“I’ll hurry,” Beck promises her anyway and then softly says: “I love you.”  
Jade smiles and pulls him into another kiss before Beck adresses their daughter in her arms: “And I love you.”  
“I love you, too, Dad,” she replies happily and lets Beck drop a kiss on her forehead.  
Then, Beck leaves and Jade puts Melissa down to finally take of her jacket and shoes. Meanwhile, she asks Melissa: “How was kindergarten today?”  
“Great. I’ve so much to tell you,” Melissa answers and Jade smiles at her: “I want to hear all about it in a sec. I just want to go up to look after Sophia first, okay?”  
Melissa nods and sometimes she comes with her parents when they look after her little sister but today she goes into the living room while Jade goes up to look after the ten-month-old girl.  
She’s back soon though and when she comes into the living room, Melissa sits on the couch and seems deep in thought. Not just in thought... She’s worrying, even if her face is sort of blank.  
Sometimes, she’s so much like Beck – he also doesn’t really show when he’s worried, looks just like that, somewhat expressionless but Jade always know with him and with their daughter. She loves it though how much they are alike as she loves everything about Beck so deeply.  
“What’s up with you?” she asks her, gentle in a way she only talks to her children and sometimes Beck.  
Melissa looks up while Jade sits down next to her. She shrugs first, then chews on her inner cheek.  
Jade watches her for a second, then puts her arm around her and pulls her closer. She will tell her as soon as she wants to, Jade is sure.  
And after a while, the little girl does speak up again: “Mom? Do you love Dad?”  
“Why do you ask?” Jade directly asks because that question is ridiculous and how can her own daughter ever doubt her love to Beck?  
Melissa shrugs and looks at her mother as if she was worrying about her reaction (which is a worry she shows just like Beck does; and she hasgot every now and then just like Beck has). “You just don’t say it very much. And Jennifer said that her mother never said it very often and now her parents are divorcing.”  
Jennifer is a good friend of Melissa. Jade has met her mother a few times. She doesn’t know anything about a divorce but it’s also not as if they’re friends – or as if she cares. She is sorry for Jennifer though. She knows from own experience how ugly divorces can be, especially if you’re the child inbetween.  
But Melissa has absolutely no reason to worry. She pulls her even closer as she says: “Her parents probably don’t love each other anymore and her mother possibly hasn’t for some time. But I love your Dad, even if I don’t say it all the time.”  
Melissa nods slightly and Jade knows that that’s enough for her. She just wanted to hear that. But maybe she needs to hear more than she wanted. Maybe she needs more to feel safe.  
She thinks for a moment, then: “Do you know that amazing feeling when you open up a present and are just a second away from seeing what your gift is?”  
Melissa looks up to her curiously. “Uhu.”  
“That’s how I always feel when I see your Dad,” Jade says honestly and that lets Melissa’s face finally shine again, that gives her a bright smile.  
Jade smiles as well while she continues: “And you know the way your heart starts beating really fast when we start talking about Disney World?”  
“Yeah?” Melissa says excitedly. They have been to Disney World one and a half years prior and again just three months ago. And Melissa has loved both trips to no end and talks about them from time to time. And she always gets excited by the bare mention, just like now.  
“That’s what I always feel when your Dad and I touch.”  
She loves how Melissa beams at that, truly happy.  
Jade drops a kiss on her hair, then: “I love him so, so much. But you know... Some people say that very often and some just don’t. And some people need to hear it more often and some don’t. That’s ok. Because everyone’s different.”  
“That’s true,” Melissa says.  
Jade goes through her little girls’ hair with her hand before she decides: “But enough about that. Tell me about your day.”  
Melissa doesn’t have to be told twice.

Beck’s meeting with the producer has taken much longer than he has wanted it to but he comes back well in time, so they get to spend time as a family at least for an hour before Jade has to go again.  
Beck eats with both girls and then plays a board game with Melissa while Sophia lies on the couch next to him with a toy in her hand.  
Melissa and he don’t get much playing done as they also talk – or rather Melissa talks and Beck asks her some questions every now and then.  
“Sammy also said that his uncle is in France at the moment. Isn’t that where Auntie Tori is?”  
Beck nods. “She has been in all of Europe. But I think she’s back now.” Tori has been on tour so they haven’t seen her for quite a while. It’s weird because all six of them who befriended each other at Hollywood Arts still are all friends (even if Jade sometimes still denies the friendships) but they rarely see each other all at the same time. But Melissa of course knows all of them and feels close to them as well.  
“She is?” she now asks happily. “When can we see her?”  
“I hope soon,” Beck answers honestly. “It’s her birthday soon and the last time we texted she said she wants to celebrate.” She has also said the children would be welcome – otherwise Beck wouldn’t have just mentioned a possible party like that if he would have to tell his daughter in the end that she isn’t invited and her parents will go on their own.  
“When is her birthday? We need a present!”  
Beck laughs lightly and wants to tell her that it’s still too early for buying one but that they can of course start thinking about it, when Melissa suddenly stands up out of excitement and suddenly asks with big, bright eyes: “Oh, Dad! Do you know that Mom loves you like a present? And like Disney World at the same time?”  
Beck’s a little confused by the change of topic but obviously the word ‘present’ has triggered it. Though he doesn’t know where Melissa has picked up what she just said.  
However, for now he just asks: “Does she?”  
As he has guessed, she already explains: “She told me so. I asked her because Jennifer’s parents are getting divorced.” Beck hasn’t known about that and he’s sorry for the little girl who comes over regularly to play with Melissa. Divorces can never be easy on children. “She told me you wouldn’t divorce because she loves you like opening a present or going to Disney World.”  
Beck tries to imagine that conversation and he feels sorry that Melissa has even felt like asking Jade about it. But of course the divorce occupies her mind as well if it’s happening so close to her.  
Obviously, Jade has succeeded in calming her down. Beck wonders how exactly she has phrased it. He can’t imagine her saying it exactly as Melissa is putting it right now. Maybe, he’ll ask her later. Jade will surely roll her eyes, won’t expect him knowing about the conversation.  
He has to grin and assures Melissa: “I love her just as much.”  
“I know,” Melissa claims and sometimes, she is just so much like Jade. How she tells him she knows, just like Jade does when he tells her he loves her or that she looks beautiful (as always of course). Though she is happy every time to hear him say it, he knows. And Melissa is just as happy now hearing him say he loves her mother as much as a present and as Disney World.

Jade comes back when both girls are already in bed. She still kisses both of them good night before she joins Beck on the couch in front of the TV and they finally get to truly talk about their day.  
Beck has already told her in their hour together a little about the opportunity the producer has offered him and now they talk about what they will do. He has two weeks to call him back but they also have to consider everything.  
When Jade’s yawning gets more and more excessive, Beck finally suggests: “Let’s talk about it over the next few days. We should go to bed now.”  
Jade seems to consider for a moment – she is lying quite comfortably on top of Beck already and could very well sleep like this – but then she does get up.  
It’s when Jade has already started getting her make-up off in their bathroom that’s connected to their bedroom, and Beck has just changed into his pajama that Sophia starts to scream.  
They share a look before Beck decides: “I’ll go.”  
He takes care of her and then checks up on Melissa as well before he gets back into his bedroom. And he just remembered inside Melissa’s room...  
“Everything alright?” Jade asks when he’s back. She’s still in the bathroom and now in her daily skin care routine.  
“Yes,” he just answers while going through into the bathroom as well. He makes sure to watch her closely as he says: “By the way, a little birdie told me you love me like opening a present or going to Disney World.”  
“What?” Jade directly asks, turning to him.  
Beck smiles and sees how Jade flushes slightly before she rolls her eyes. “Well... That’s not exactly what I said.”  
Beck grabs his toothbrush while he asks: “What exactly did you say?”  
“It’s none of your business,” Jade promptly and harshly says.  
Beck has to smile. That’s kind of the reaction he has expected. And he loves it. He loves Jade. He loves how she has obviously given their daughter such a gentle and sweet and honest answer after her worrying, an answer he won’t even get like that because Jade doesn’t like talking about her feelings all that much. She does do it from time to time but always on her own choosing and not because someone asks her to. Unlike ealier today with Melissa.  
“I love you,” he says, the tooth brush still just in his hand, watching Jade who already looks back into the mirror while putting lotion on her face.  
He sees a small smile on her face and is satisfied with that.  
He looks into the mirror himself and picks up the tooth paste as Jade suddenly speaks up again: “You know that I love you too, don’t you? Even if I don’t say it as much?”  
He looks at her through the mirror and she is looking back. Is she actually really worrying now? After all these years? Because of Jennifer’s parents? Because of Melissa? Why?  
“I know,” he assures her because he does. She doesn’t have to say it, she shows him every single day. Though now, he of course has to tease: “And if I ever forget, I apparently can always send our little girl to ask you to get the most beautiful answers.”  
Jade rolls her eyes again but seems amused and Beck just asks again because he is curious: “Come on: What did you tell her?”  
Jade gives an exaggerated sigh, then says: “I needed comparisions she could understand. So I told her that every time I see you, I feel like she does when she opens a present and is just seconds away from seeing the gift.”  
Beck doesn’t need to hear Jade tell him she loves him as often as he tells her (while he feels the need to tell her quite often or otherwise he would explode, and while he knows she also needs to hear him say it as often). He knows she loves him. But this description of course warms his heart.  
“What about Disney World?” he asks.  
She now faces him for real, not just in the mirror, and he returns the look.  
This time she doesn’t emphasize that she only said it because she needed good comparisions for Melissa. She does stress those kind of things usually but she feels secure enough with Beck. And both of them know anyway that these are her real feelings. Yes, she has made those certain comparisions for Melissa but they are also the total truth.  
“Every time we touch, my heart beats as fast as hers when we start talking about Disney World.”  
His smile gets wider if that’s even possible and he leans forward and pulls her into a gentle kiss.  
“I love you so much, Jade,” he whispers and now it’s her who pulls him into a kiss, a much deeper one, that gets passionate and then rough.  
Beck knows they will both be fast in getting ready for bed now. Maybe, they have a few minutes, possibly even more time for each other until one of the children needs something again – and before they are so exhausted they really have to sleep.


	10. Andre's wedding and third child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I've been fast this time. :3 These are two to three (small) one shots. You can expect time jumps.  
> After this chapter, there now will be about four or five more. I'm still open for suggestions what else to write for this.  
> I hope you'll enjoy. :)

Jade sits on the rim of the bathtub in the bathroom that’s connected to her and Beck’s bedroom. The seven year old Melissa stands in front of her, her back to her. She wears a bright yellow dress that Andre and his fiancée have chosen and Jade just now makes her an put-up hairdo.  
She has chosen a dark lilac dress for herself and is already pretty much done with her own hair and makeup. Though she will definitely take another look before they go.  
She’s putting the second to last pin in Melissa’s hair when Beck steps in. The two-year-old Sophia is sitting in his arms. She’s already ready as well. Andre and his finacée have also chosen her dress to be a bright yellow. She’ll be the flower girl while Melissa will help her a little bit but be primarily the ring bearer. As Beck is the best man, Jade is the only one without a ‘job’ at that wedding but she’s glad about it. It’s enough for her to have to attend.  
Beck has changed Sophia but they now seem both good to go. Jade still loves seeing Beck in a suit. She has always loved the way he dresses on a daily basis as well but there’s just something about him in a suit...  
“How do I look, Dad?” Melissa asks as she also notices her father and her sister coming in.  
Beck looks her up and down as if he has to consider before he smiles: “Beautiful. You will draw everyone’s eyes to you.”  
Melissa hums happily about that. Jade knows how she must feel. She sees the way Beck looks at her, just like he does at Jade herself, just likes he says those words like he always says them to her... She knows how special you feel when Beck looks at you like that and tells you something like that.  
“Am I done?” Melissa then asks and as Jade puts in the last hairpin in that same second, she answers: “Go take a look yourself.”  
Melissa leaves the bathroom for the bedroom where they have a full-body mirror. Beck puts Sophia down who promptly follows her big sister as Jade stands up and looks into the small bathroom mirror, checking her hair and makeup.  
“You also look absolutely stunning,” Beck says as he steps closer to her until he’s right with her.  
“I know,” she of course has to answer though she instantly feels the warmth spread inside of her. She turns to him, kisses him shortly before she looks back into the mirror.  
Beck steps behind her, wraps his arms around her waist, kisses her neck and closes his eyes. She strokes his hands around her with her own as she looks at both of them in the mirror. She is definitely ready to go as well and she has to say that they both look good together. Like they always have. They probably look even better now than in their teens and in her opinion they fit together perfectly. She possibly could look at them together or only just Beck as well forever.  
But they don’t have the time for that.  
She glances to her wristwatch while she hears Melissa and Sophia talking excitedly in the bedroom.  
It’s still really early but as Beck, Melissa and Sophia are all needed for the ceremony, they are expected way before anything really begins. Which is why: “I guess we have to get going.”  
She doesn’t pull away from Beck though, leans heavily into him instead. She doesn’t feel like going at all.  
She hates every big gathering, possibly especially weddings because everyone is so lovey-dovey at those, everyone feels the need to hug and kiss everybody. It’s kind of her worst nightmare, not to mention that some of the happiness always seems fake which she always hates.  
She’s fine with the big crews on her jobs and also all the people on big events but she doesn’t need that many people around in her private life. Andre’s wedding will be quite big. There won’t be any press people though which helps a lot for feeling more at ease. And of course, there will be their friends. Jade guesses she will have at least a little fun. But she still isn’t excited to go.  
It’s almost as if Beck knows what she’s thinking. “It will be wonderful,” he says as he’s opening his eyes again, dropping a kiss on her hair, still holding her close.  
“I hate weddings,” she says.  
“I know you do,” Beck answers, looking into her eyes through the mirror with a smile on his face. “Though I seem to remember you liked one very much. When was that again?”  
There’s a glint in his eye and Jade of course knows which wedding he’s talking about. About their own which she did like. Which she loved.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says anyway and turns around in his arms to kiss him.  
As soon as they break apart, he pouts but not for too long, before he leans in for another kiss.  
This one is a long one and only gets interrupted by Melissa’s voice: “We’re ready to go.”  
“You are, huh?” Jade asks. Beck has his arms still around her and she leans her head against his shoulder, both looking at their children who have come back into the bathroom.  
“Are you happy with the way you look?” Beck wants to know and after Melissa’s nod, he adds: “Perfect. Then let’s put on our jackets and let’s get going.”  
Melissa nods another time and then grabs Sophia’s hand. “Come on, Phee.” She pulls her out of the bathroom with her. Sometimes, it’s as if she knows her parents would love another second on their own, and she just gives it to them.  
Jade kisses Beck another time before she finally frees herself and takes his hand into hers instead as she says: “I can’t believe it’s already been ten years.” Ten years ago they got married. She almost can remember the day as if it was yesterday. Especially when she heard all the stupid wedding planning from Andre and his girlfriend. It reminded her of all those things they had to go through before their wedding, all those things that have happened.  
Beck of course knows she’s still talking about their wedding, even if they got interrupted by their children. “It was such a beautiful day,” he says as they follow their children out of the bathroom and out of the bedroom as well.  
“It was a mess,” Jade says because it was. She knows it could’ve been worse but she still was annoyed at the thought of how much longer the photographs took than what they had planned, and how the power went out for several minutes, and how the food wasn’t really what they had ordered.  
But she also remembers their vows, their cake, their first dance and every other dance after that, the songs their friends and themselves sang, the warm words spoken to her by his father, and Beck’s teary eyes as he said ‘I do’.  
Therefore she adds in a whisper: “But one of the best days of my life.”  
She stops and pulls him into another deep kiss which he of course returns with a smile.

 

“Beck? I want a third child.”  
Beck is long used to Jade being pretty prompt and blunt at times but he totally hasn’t counted on that.  
“What?” he asks and Jade suddenly scoots away from him which he never really likes.  
She says: “I want a third child. I know our life is a little messy right now but when isn’t it?”  
Beck looks at her for a long moment before he asks: “Who will take care of it?” Melissa is eight by now and at school most of the day while Sophia is three and in preschool. The few days Beck is away to film something while Jade also has to be at work their parents or friends can take care of it – or the children can go themselves to their own friends and play there for the day. A newborn child will be much more difficult. They have never wanted to give a young child away every day. They know it works for some people but they were able to manage it this way with their first two children and Beck doesn’t want to do it differently with a third one.  
For Melissa, it has been Jade who stayed home some time, barely took any jobs and only if it worked with Beck’s jobs. With Sophia, it was Beck who took some time off while Jade kept working. But they are both doing quite good at the moment and... who will take care of a third child?  
Jade works as a co-creator and a writer on a series with the man who also created the series she has been a regular on before. After the series didn’t get picked up, they have created this new horror series together and it’s already about to go into its second season.  
Beck meanwhile actually gets asked to audition for movies – or even just to directly take a certain role in them. To be at that point in his career is unbelievable for him.  
Jade answers: “I can. You know I don’t have to be in the office every day. I write most of the scripts at home anyway. For the team meetings and the table reads I can take the baby with me. Lena does that every now and then and it’s not a problem.” Lean is another writer on the show. “I also wouldn’t have to write as many scripts for the next season. I think I can work something out, especially around the birth.”  
They look at each other and suddenly, a wide smile spreads over Beck’s face and he says: “I love you so much, Jade.” He leans forward and they share a kiss before he says: “I thought about having another child for weeks now. Or months. I would also be willing to cut back a little but you know... if they come to me with a job I really want... I’m not sure if I can say no to everything. But I thought I couldn’t ask you for another child when I’m possibly going away for two months to shoot on location who-knows-where and you would have to take care of all three of them on your own. But I’d love another child.”  
She smiles as well now and kisses him again while she pushes him down on the couch.  
“Well, then,” she whispers as they barely break apart. “We could get started on it right now.”  
Of course, she’s still taking the pill but the kids are asleep and he’s definitely on board with this, so he just pulls her into another rough kiss.

 

They are both not sure yet if they want the doctor to tell them the sex of the baby. They made him say it the last two times but maybe a surprise could also be interesting and fun.  
Though the thing is that Jade thinks she knows anyway: “It’ll be a girl anyway.”  
Beck looks at her with a smile. They both lie in bed. It’s late in the evening and they may have used their time alone together but now have started talking again.  
Beck supports himself on his elbow next to Jade, so they’re able to look at each other. He rubs over her belly with his free hand as he asks: “Are you sure?”  
Jade intertwines her fingers with his over her belly and looks at him with narrowed eyes: “Would you rather have a boy?”  
Beck instantly sees that Jade worries. Because she is absolutely sure she’ll have another girl. She said she bets it’ll be girls during the last two pregnancies and has obviously been right. He’s sure she’ll be right this time as well. And she seems to worry that he would rather have a son than a third daughter.  
“No. Do you?” he asks.  
“No,” she says and he knows it’s the truth. It doesn’t matter to her. And it definitely also doesn’t matter to him. He loves his two little girls. Would a son be great to have? Sure enough, it would be. But he knows a third daughter would be just as great.  
And with a smile, he says: “If it’s a girl, I’ll be relaxed. We’ve already proofed we make and raise good girls.”  
That also makes Jade smile softly and suddenly she pulls him to her and they share a deep kiss.  
Yes, they definitely make good girls. Melissa and Sophia are both so different and both wonderful and lovely in their very own ways.  
They barely break apart for Jade to say: “I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Beck whispers back before they get lost in another kiss.


	11. Waiting and birth

Melissa glances to her watch again.  
It’s getting later and later but her father still isn’t home. She tries to distract herself by reading a book but she is not very successful with it. She reads the same page for the third time by now because she just can’t concentrate.  
The nine-year-old sighs as she looks at her watch yet another time.  
Maybe, she has missed him coming home but she knows that can’t be it. Even if she would have failed to hear the sound of the door... her father would have long come up to her room to kiss her good night.  
But he has to come home soon, doesn’t he? Well... She can’t keep reading in any case.  
She puts her book aside and stands up.Quietly, she walks through the hallway and down the stairs. She already hears the TV before she can look into the living room though the volume isn’t up all that high.  
Her mother lies on the couch and on top of her big baby belly lies the four-year-old Sophia, seemingly asleep, while her mother watches TV. She has obviously heard her though as she now turns to her.  
“Hey, Mom,” Melissa says as she gets closer.  
Her mother smiles. “Hey, sweetie. Can’t sleep?”  
Melissa shrugs. “Haven’t tried yet.” She looks at Sophia who her mother has long tucked in but here she is. “She obviously wasn’t able to sleep.”  
Her mother runs her hand through the hair of the little girl. “Yeah, she decided she has to wait for your dad right here.”  
Melissa can understand that. Of course, Sophia also hasn’t been able to sleep – up until now where she lies in their mother’s arms.  
But their father has already been away for three weeks. He only was supposed to be away for two weeks, filming for some movie in New York. With his schedule, he hasn’t been able to visit at all during that time – and they haven’t been able to visit him. They of course have video chatted and talked on the phone but that’s naturally not the same as actually being with each other. And then, there were problems with shooting the movie and he had to stay another week.  
“Is Dad on his way?” Melissa now asks, meaning if he has at least already landed in LA and is on his way to their house.  
Her mother understands and makes a small gesture to her phone next to her on the coffee table: “He texted me a few minutes ago. He should be here soon.”  
Melissa nods. Well, that sounds good. He will be here soon then, definitely.  
Then, everything is well with her father. But what about her mother? “How are you feeling?”  
She hasn’t been feeling all that well the whole day. Melissa knows that she and her father both have been worried that her mother could give birth before he would be back. She still isn’t due but apparently, you never know when the baby really comes.  
When her mother pulled a face at lunch and put her hand on her belly, Melissa has been worried that it actually was a contraction. Her mother has told her though that the baby was just moving too much and she was kind of feeling a little sick the whole day and everything would be fine. She hasn’t looked fine, has taken care of her and Sophia but hasn’t been really active during it. Melissa knows that’s because she hasn’t feeling well at all.  
Her mother’s face softens though it hasn’t been hard at all. “Better. Don’t worry.”  
“Should I bring you something?” Melissa asks.  
For a moment, her mother just looks at her, while she gently strokes Sophia’s back. Then, she says: “If you would bring me some water?”  
“Sure,” Melissa answers. She can definitely do that and she does.  
“Thank you,” her mother tells her like she barely says to anyone else and with a smile Melissa first sits down with her while she drinks. As soon as her mother has put the glass on the coffee table though, she lies down half next to her mother, half on top of her, next to Sophia.  
Her mother puts her arm around her and she lies a hand down on her belly. Promptly, she feels something pushing against her hand inside there.  
“It’s moving,” she says, looking up to her mother with a smile.  
She returns the smile warmly. “It is. I guess it’s also waiting for your dad.”  
Melissa likes that thought. Of course, the baby is waiting too. They’ve all missed him.  
Melissa settles her head on her mother’s arm and closes her eyes. It’s silent except for the TV that’s still running. Melissa barely hears it though. It’s just so warm and comfortable and she’s about to drift asleep when she hears a different sound.  
It takes her a few seconds to realize that it has been the sound of the door being opened, and what that means.  
She opens her eyes and turns and her father is already standing there, looking at them with a smile.  
“Dad!” she screams out happily and gets up, runs to him and jumps in his arms. Her father hugs her tightly. “Sweetie! I’m so happy to see you again!”  
He looks further, beaming. “All my three beautiful girls.”  
Melissa turns in her father’s arms and sees her mother waking up Sophia at this very moment. She is sure her mother has also drifted asleep and only has woken up through her scream. But now, she is awake. And Sophia wakes up as well though not nearly as promptly as Melissa had.  
She sleepily turns to their father and reaches out for him with her hands. Melissa lets go of her father before he takes up Sophia in his arms and gives her a kiss on the cheeck.  
Then, she makes even more room as her father finally really looks at her mother who has sat up by now, has tilted her head and looks at her father in that certain way.  
Sophia still is in a sleepy hug with their father when he leans down, kisses their mother and puts a hand on her belly.  
“Hey, babe,” he whispers and her mother quietly gives back: “Hey.”  
Then they kiss again, he moves his hand from her belly to her neck, pulls her in closer, and they kiss again and again.  
Melissa knows they will break apart long enough to tug her and her sister in if they won’t just all crash here like they sometimes do if one of their parents have been away for some time. It’s mostly her father that’s away for longer periods of time as her mother has a stable job as a writer now and even if she does get acting jobs she barely has one of those where she has to shoot on locations somewhere else. Her father gets those kind of roles surprisingly often, has been to Africa actually quite often. Her mother always says it’s because he’s the type that fits into an African desert. Whatever that means.  
In any case... When he has been away for some time, they sometimes all just sleep together on the couch somehow – or in their parents’ bed. But Melissa is fine if that doesn’t happen today. She thinks her parents deserve some time alone. They always do.  
Though in this moment, Melissa is sure that nobody but them exists anyway. In this moment when they kiss like that, there is nobody in the world but them.  
Melissa loves to see them like that. Because she knows, even if it’s just the two of them, she is still somehow part of that world as well. And because seeing the absolute love between her parents always makes her feel amazingly warm and safe inside.

 

It’s only three nights later that Beck gets woken up by Jade’s voice.  
“Beck. The baby is coming.”  
“What?” he asks, not even realizing what she has said, knowing at the same time however that he has to wake up.  
“I’m having contractions,” Jade says.  
Beck sits up. Now, he is awake. “How far apart are they?”  
Jade sits next to him, in her pajamas, both her hands on her belly. “I had one about twenty minutes ago. And the last one just now.”  
It’s their third child which means it will probably be a quicker birth than the previous ones. The second one definitely went by much faster than the first one. Beck also hopes it will be faster. He hates seeing Jade in pain.  
And he knows, if their doctor told them the truth, the child can be in their arms very soon.  
He takes a look to the watch on his nightstand, tries to orient himself, before he says: “I’ll call my parents, yeah?”  
They’ve talked about it before. His parents have both time tomorrow while her mother will have to work. So, it’s his parents.  
She nods and he grabs his phone, standing up.  
It takes four rings before his mother picks up. “Beck? Has something happened?”  
“Jade is in labor,” he instantly answers, watching Jade changing from her pajamas in different clothes. “Can you come over to watch the girls?”  
“Of course. Yes. We’ll be there as fast as we can,” his mother promises.  
He has enough time to still say: “Drive carefully though.” Then, they hang up.  
Beck hurries to also put on clothes and both go into the bathroom to get themselves fully ready. His parents probably will just grab some things, won’t change out of their pajamas but drive in them to their house. He guesse sthey will still need at least twenty minutes, so they have enough time to brush their teeth and wash.  
It’s when they both want to leave the bathroom that Jade suddenly holds her belly again and pulls a face.  
He instantly grabs her arm, puts his own arm around her but doesn’t say a word. He knows she doesn’t want him to tell her it’s okay and they or she will get through this. It would only make her angry and it’s enough that she has to give birth to their baby within the next few hours.  
She does grab his hand though herself while she breathes through the next contraction.  
When the pain is over, she closes her eyes for a second before she gets out of his arms and grabs the bag she has had long prepared.  
He takes it out of her hand without a word and leads her down the stairs to the living room where she sits down.  
He looks out of the window but of course doesn’t see his parents’ car out in their driveway yet.  
“Anything else I have to think of?” he then asks Jade. He doesn’t want to forget anything but is almost sure that with thinking of the bag and someone to take care of their children, everything is taken care off.  
Jade shakes her head. “Everything’s alright. How long until your parents will be here?”  
“Any minute now,” he answers and walks over to Jade. “I’m so relieved I’m home for this.” He very well could still have been on location to shoot that movie. How he would have hated to miss the birth of one of his children!  
It isn’t due for almost another two weeks but he has been afraid he would miss the birth while he was away. But he truly is here.  
“I know I’m great for keeping it in for so long,” Jade says with a smirk and Beck has to smile as well: “You are. Thank you.”  
They share a kiss before Beck also kisses her belly, then he gets back to the window and is glad to already see his parents’ car pulling into the driveway.  
“They are here,” he informs Jade while he opens the door.  
“Beck,” his mother calls out as she gets out of the car fromthe passenger’s seat, with a small bag of her own, truly still in her pajamas. “Oh, Beck!”  
She runs up to him and pulls him into a close hug. His father also gets out, in his pajamas as well, and hugs him right after her.  
His mother meanwhile goes further into the house and it’s when Beck and his father already broke apart again and also went a few steps further in that his mother wants to hug Jade who still sits on the edge of the couch while she says: “And Jade. I’m so happy for...”  
Jade holds her hand up though, so his mother can’t hug her, and interrupts her: “No.”  
Beck could’ve told his mother just by Jade’s expression that she wouldn’t want a hug from her now. Jade and his parents do hug as well when they see each other because family is important for Jade but... She’s in labor now and Beck is pretty sure he’s the only one allowed to touch her except possibly the doctors and nurses because they have to.  
Not to mention that she already goes into her next contraction right this very second. This is too close to the last one for them to stay home any longer.  
“I’m sorry,” Beck’s mother says, taking a step away again. She obviously isn’t offended and understands. Beck wouldn’t have cared much if his mother wouldn’t have understood.  
He goes up to Jade again and carefully asks: “Can you get up and to the car?”  
She nods though she already looks like she’s in too much pain, and he offers her his hand to help her stand up and she takes it.  
“Good luck,” his father says and his mother adds: “We hope it’ll be over extra fast this time.”  
“Thanks,” Beck answers as he helps Jade to the door. “I’ll call as soon as I can. Lizzy and Phee are upstairs in their rooms. See you then.”  
He takes the bag again which he has left at the door when his parents came in, still holding Jade at the same time though as they leave the house and go to the car.  
Jade still breathes heavily as she sits down in the passenger seat and he throws the bag in the back before he hurries to sit down in the front seat and start the car.  
It’s silent in the car for a few minutes. Beck has lied down his right hand between them, ready to have Jade take it but at the moment she has both her hands on her belly, her head rested against the backrest, her eyes closed.  
He tries to stay calm as he drives to the hospital. He always is pretty cool-headed – he never has been for the births of his children. How could he have been?  
But he has to get them to the hospital safely. He can still loose his head there.  
They are only half-way there when Jade suddenly snarls: “Drive faster. I don’t want to give birth in this damn car.”  
And the way she’s breathing she’s definitely into her next contraction which isn’t how fast the next should have come. But he knows they can still make it with him keeping within the speed limit.  
“I’m doing my best here,” he truthfully says because he does. He drives the roads where he knows there aren’t as many cars at this time of day, he tries to drive as fast as he’s allowed to. He won’t drive faster and risk a crash or something.  
“Ugh,” Jade says. “It’s not good enough.”  
And if there’s one thing he hates it’s definitely Jade telling him he doesn’t do something good enough for her. He doesn’t know why but it bothers him to no end and she knows it.  
And what is he supposed to do now? He won’t drive unsafely to get her to the hospital. It takes as long as it takes. There’s nothing he can do about it.  
Normally, he would say all that and more but he won’t argue now. After all, she will push a baby out of her body rather sooner than later, his baby, so it’s okay if she’s a little nasty.  
Therefore, he bites down any remark and it’s already the next second that she suddenly grabs his hand and almost crushes it as she’s probably in the hight of the pain for this contraction.  
He breathes through his very own pain with her and then pulls her hand to his lips and kisses it as she finally relaxes again.  
They do make it to the hospital.

Just like with the last two, he has gone with the nurse for the new-born’s very first check-up. Jade almost pleaded with him to stay with Melissa back then and bring her back to her as soon as he could. Of course, he therefore did the same with Sophia and now does with their little Alexis.  
Alexis is a beautiful and healthy baby and Beck is glad when the nurse finally puts her in his arms and sends him back to Jade.  
Jade looks sweaty and exhausted as he steps back into the room but she also smiles when she sees him and their third little girl.  
He feels absolute and pure happiness spreading through him, as he steps closer, and puts Alexis into her mother’s arm.  
Jade looks down to her, then up to him and pulls him into a deep kiss before she whispers: “I love you so much, Beck.”  
“I love you, too,” he whispers back, kisses her another time. “I love you and our children more than anything else in the world.”


	12. Heroes and voices

Andre loves visiting the Oliver-Wests. He hasn’t been over for some time now but is finally back.  
While he has randomly met up with Cat and Jade last month, he hasn’t seen Beck or the girls for two months now.  
Jade is still at work but Beck and all three of their daughters are home. Andre is over on his own. His wife and child are visiting his wife’s parents as he has decided to rather finally meet up with his best friend again.  
They sit around the kitchen counter. Alexis who has just turned one year old is sitting on Andre’s lap, the five-year-old Sophia on Beck’s while the ten-year-old Melissa sits on her own as they talk.  
“Oh, Dad,” Melissa suddenly says at some point to Beck. “I still have to do the interview for school with you.”  
Beck looks at Andre for a second before he shrugs: “Do you want to do it now?”  
Melissa nods wildly. “Yes, I will get it.” And she’s already up and gone for her room.  
“I hope that’s okay. I’m sure it won’t take too long,” Beck tells Andre.  
“No, sure,” Andre answers because why should he have a problem with it? Especially if it’s for school and therefore naturally important for Melissa. “What kind of interviews do they have to do?” he asks though.  
Beck answers: “They are supposed to interview their heroes and write a little bit about them. If they don’t choose people they actually know, they can also apparently make every answer up.”  
“But she chose you?” Andre asks impressed and is amused by the very proud smile in Beck’s face.  
“She did,” Beck tells him. “Me and Jade. They only need to do one but she asked her teacher if she could also do two as she couldn’t choose between us. She is wonderful, right?”  
Andre chuckles. She truly is and he can imagine how Beck feels, especially as he now finally has a child on his own. It must feel amazing to be consciously chosen as their personal hero.  
Sophia interrupts them: “I also would have chosen both of you.”  
Oh, the little Sophia. Andre has noticed a little jealousy with Melissa when Sophia has just been born. It’s natural, he guesses. It’s another story with Sophia. Somehow, he’s pretty similiar to Jade in that sense that she’s kind of possessive over Beck. She has been before Alexis’ birth but especially after. Yes, she also wants more attention from everyone else since then, but she especially takes over Beck way more aggressively. Just like she now has to say that she would’ve done the same as Melissa when she gets praised in a sense by Beck.  
Andre wonders if that will get better and if Beck and Jade do the right thing in accepting her actions in this.  
Beck now kisses her gently on the head. “I know you would have.”  
But he also doesn’t make a bigger deal out of it and maybe, that is the right way to handle it as long as Sophia doesn’t start hurting anyone or something.  
The next second, Melissa is back with a paper and a pen, sits back down and starts in a businesslike tone: “Okay. I have your full name and your date of birth. Where were you born?”  
It’s all questions like that and it really only takes a few minutes, before she says: “And finally: Who is your hero?”  
Andre watches a soft smile forming on Beck’s face. That kind of smile he only knows from him when it’s about Jade. And sure enough: “Your mom.”  
Melissa smiles as well, extremely happy: “Why?”  
Beck doesn’t hesitate to answer. “Because she’s an amazing woman. She works so hard on all her dreams and always looks and acts like she manages everything so easily. And she would protect you girls and me from everything and that’s what heroes do, right?”  
Andre has to smile as well. It’s always weird to hear Beck describe Jade because it’s always different than everyone else would describe her – though nontheless just as true.  
Melissa giggles. “Mom also chose you.”  
“Did you also ask her why?” Beck asks.  
“I did,” Melissa nods. “But she told me I can never tell you.”  
“Of course she did,” Beck answers amused and Andre grins. Yes, that does sound like her.  
Melissa puts her mother’s name on the end of the paper for the last question as she says: “Well, I have everything.”  
“Good,” Beck says and Sophia instantly asks: “Can we play something now?”  
Beck and Andre exchange a look and as Andre nods, Beck answers: “Sure. What do you wanna play?”

+~+

Tori has taken the 11-year-old Melissa and the 6-year-old Sophia out for a fun day while the 2-year-old Alexis has stayed home sick with Jade. Tori only has taken the girls out because the little one is sick, Beck is away to film a movie again for a few days and Jade has had to write an important script and has been thoroughly annoyed to not only have a sick child at home but two older ones who have been crazy for a few days now, apparently.  
Jade hasn’t outright asked Tori for help – as if she ever would – but Tori decided to take Melissa and Sophia out. She has considered taking Alexis out of Jade’s hands but Jade has glared at her at that suggestion and has made clear that the only one to take care of her sick children would forever be her or Beck.  
Tori has taken the girls to a climbing park, then out for something to eat. And as they’ve gotten around to talk about every- and anything, they also got to talk about Tori’s music and Melissa has told her that she loved her song Beggin‘ on Your Knees best of all the songs she has made in her career. Tori has told her that Andre had already written that for her when they still were in school and that she performed it for the first time for a grade on a school event. She has successfully sold it as a single years ago after her career has finally took off after school.  
Melissa and Sophia has asked more about it and Tori has finally told them that she thinks she still has video of that very first performance and they have told her they wanted to watch it.  
That’s why Tori has taken them home with her now. She has to search a little on her laptop to find it. She has this folder on her laptop in which a lot of the videos and pictures she has liked on TheSlap are safed. Their old school’s website still exsists out there somewhere but it’s hard to find all the stuff you liked from it, so she has downloaded most of it long ago. Even the pictures and videos she uploaded herself are in this folder on her laptop as she partly doesn’t even have the originals anymore.  
She puts the video on and it’s after she has closed it again and they’ve talked about it a little that Sophia suddenly asks: “Why is this named after Mom and Dad?”  
Tori looks at the file Sophia is pointing at. It is named after Beck and Jade. It’s one of Sikowitz’ drive-by acting excercises. The one Tori loves most if she has to be honest. Which is why the file has a name at all. Most are just named with random numbers and letters after she has downloaded them. A few she has given a real name over time, like this.  
“Your parents are in it,” Tori says smiling. She puts the video on. She doesn’t know if the children don’t know it already. She’s sure that Beck and Jade also have safed some of the old pictures and videos and may have showed their children some of them.  
It just starts when Melissa already says: “Gosh, they’re so young there.” They’ve already directly mentioned how young Tori has looked in the previous video. Tori herself is amazed at their young faces.  
“Shh,” Sophia makes though as her mother starts talking.  
They watch them almost bicker before Jade tells Beck to tell her he loves her. Beck asks for a please which Jade gives him, then he says that he loves her.  
Sophia laughs. “They were just like they are now.”  
Tori has to laugh, too. It’s true. They have grown up very much but Jade still often asks Beck to tell her he loves her even with them having three kids and everything. And Beck wants to hear a please every now and then before he of course always tells her he loves her.  
They watch Beck and Jade explain about Sikowitz and his drive-by acting exercise before it goes over to the challenge.  
It’s after they have started with the challenge and Beck says “thanks” in character at the beginning that Sophia says, obviously totally amused: “How Dad almost can’t help laughing!”  
“What?” Tori asks. She has never seen Beck even close to laughing in that video.  
“He almost laughed right then,” Sophia claims and Tori has to stop the video and listen to Sophia as she says: “Go back a few seconds.”  
“Yeah, there,” Melissa agrees as Tori has gotten to the point where the video finally shows Beck again, right before he says “thanks”.  
“I don’t see it,” she confesses.  
Sophia looks at her as if she was stupid – the same way Jade looks at her so often. “He totally holds back his laughter.”  
“Well, he does love Mom doing voices,” Melissa mentions and Tori also has never heard this before though she is friends with the couple for about 19 years.  
She looks at the girls surprised: “He does?”  
Melissa nods. “Yes. He loves her doing characters in general but especially the voices. When she has met one of you and tells Dad about some of the things that you said, she always does it in your voices. She does make them sound ridiculous on purpose most of the time but she also can make them sound pretty real.”  
Tori tries to imagine that and funnily enough she can. She can even now imagine Jade rolling her eyes as she repeats some of the things they have said for Beck as ridiculously as possible, pretending they have actually said it that way.  
But she also does voices that sound like them?  
“Does she have a real version of me?”  
“No,” Sophia instantly says and both girls laugh before Melissa says: “I once told her that that’s not what you sound like and she should do you for real but she told me that that would take all the fun out of it.”  
Of course. Even just with the people she loves most, she has to make fun of Tori.  
Well... But Tori is sure, she also heard the ridiculous voices for Andre, Robbie and Cat over time as Jade sometimes mimics them when she is annoyed.  
“Does she have one for your dad?” she asks now because she has never heard that but if she regularly does everyone else... Why shouldn’t she also do Beck?  
The girls share a glance.  
“She has two for him as well,” Sophia says, biting her lip, and it’s Melissa who explains: “One of them, she only uses when they fight and it makes him really mad. That voice makes him sound dumb and careless, which is why he hates it so much. She also has one real voice for him she only uses when we ask her to. It’s not just the voice then. She uses all the words he would definitely use as well.”  
As Tori sees the smiles on both girls’ faces, she can imagine Jade doing the voice for them though she can’t imagine what exactly it sounds like. But maybe, she does it for them when Beck is away shooting something, when she tugs them in.  
“I wish I could hear that,” she confesses because she does wish that.  
“You never will,” Sophia says matter-of-factly and Tori is sure she’s right. If Jade only does it when her daughters are asking her to... Beck’s voice with his very own words... It sounds like something really private and Jade never shares anything too private, even after many years of friendship.  
Melissa pulls Tori out of her thoughts again. “Now, let’s watch the rest of that video,” she says as she puts it back on play.

Melissa has a key for the front door and lets all three of them in as they get back to their home.  
Sophia has realized she has to use the restroom as soon as they have started driving here, and now runs in quickly while Melissa calls into the house: “We’re home.”  
Jade already has heard them and comes walking into the entryway out of the living room. Alexis sits on her arms, apparently almost asleep.  
“Hey,” Jade tells them and Melissa only shortly hugs her mother before she goes to bring her and Sophia’s bags upstairs.  
Tori also hugs Jade for a greeting before Jade asks: “How did everything go?”  
Tori is still amused how much Jade can sound like a mother with question like that though Jade already does it for eleven years, already is a mother for so long.  
“Great,” she answer honestly. “How is Alexis?”  
She touches the back of the little girl who doesn’t even react.  
“Better,” Jade answers and Tori smiles before she asks: “How far are you with your script?”  
Now, Jade seems satisfied. “Almost done.” Which sounds promising because that usually means she has everything written and just has to work through it again. “Wanna come in for a while?”  
Tori loves being invited in by her because that still doesn’t happen often if Jade can avoid it. Tori thinks it isn’t that Jade doesn’t want to spend any time with her but it’s more fun for Jade to have Beck or her daughters or Cat invite Tori to spend time with them and rolling her eyes about it.  
“No, don’t worry,” she says though because Jade still has to work and Alexis is still sick and Tori is sure, she would only annoy Jade by sitting on her couch right now. “I think I’ll go now.”  
Jade nods, then turns and calls into the house: “Lizzy, Phee, come say good-bye to your aunt Tori.”  
Tori cant help but smiling brightly. Jade hasn’t said “thank you” at any point for taking the kids out of her hands. Tori knows she won’t. Because Tori chose to do so on her own and Jade just doesn’t like saying thanks. But calling her daughters back to say good-bye to her, their aunt... it is like a thanks for Tori.  
Melissa and Sophia do come back, though Sophia instantly asks her mother, as soon as she can see her: “Has Dad texted or something?”  
“He has, right before you came home. He will call in half an hour,” Jade answers and smiles beautifully as Sophia cheers.  
Melissa is the first to hug Tori but Sophia also gives her a tight squeeze.  
“Tell your dad hi from me,” Tori tells them and they nod and as she looks back to Jade, she wonders if Jade will tell Beck on the phone what she has said today. They haven’t talked much right now but more earlier, when she has came for Melissa and Sophia. She wonders if she said anything, Jade will tell Beck, of course in that ridiculous imitation and if the whole family will laugh about it.  
Somehow, she doesn’t feel resentful at all at that thought but has to smile herself.


	13. Quality time and mother-daughter-moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> This chapter has again two one shots which both have two parts. The next chapter will have one long one shot and I think there will be only one more chapter after that with three small ideas which chronically fit all throughout the rest but which I've thought of to late to write and post it accordingly.  
> But now have fun with these one shots.

Beck reads the script for his next movie while the four-year-old Alexis leans against him watching her favorite show on TV.  
The episode has just ended and Beck wants to turn off the TV and ask the girl to do something else when Alexis suddenly already speaks up: “Daddy, do you love me?”  
Beck doesn’t feel good at all hearing a question like that. Because it shouldn’t be a question. Of course, he loves his daughter!  
He’s used to his little girl telling him to tell her that he loves her. All of his girls tell him that, have picked it up from Jade pretty early on, pretty much since they can talk. It amuses him because other people would probably just say that they love the other one first and would know they’d get an ‘I love you, too’ back. He therefore takes them asking him to tell them he loves them as an ‘I love you’. Though his daughters also do say it back most of the times after he (of course) tells them.  
But this question is unusual. It gives him the option to say no which all of them have to know he would never say.  
“Of course, I do,” he says urgently. “Why do you ask?”  
Alexis tilts her head and looks at him for a while before she shrugs. “You love Mommy and Mommy loves you. And you always say Phee is like Mommy and Lizzy is like you, so of course you love them but I’m not like anyone.”  
Sometimes, Beck wonders where the thoughts of little kids come from. Even now with his third child.  
It hurts him how desperate his little girl sounds.  
He guesses he kind of sees where she’s coming from, why she could come to that conclusion. They do talk about how her older sisters are so much like him and Jade. They mostly say it about Sophia because there are moments where she reacts just like Jade about something.  
But Jade also tells Beck all the time that Melissa is so much like him. She rolls her eyes about it like she does, claims that it annoys her to no end when Melissa looks at her, apaprently as patient as Beck, how Melissa lets Sophia rant like Beck lets Jade, how calm the 13-year-old has gotten.  
Jade also claims it has been pretty obvious who Melissa comes more after when she was already really little. It definitely was obvious with Sophia. Alexis seems more well-rounded in a lot of ways. She is similiar to both of them almost equally, as it seems.  
“Oh, angel,” Beck says now and pulls her close to him. “Yes, your sisters might be a lot like your mommy and me sometimes but they’re also their very own persons, just like you are. And we love every one of you very, very much. And you are also like us, it’s just not as obvious. But we love you exactly the way you are.”  
Alexis bites her lip. That doesn’t make her happy apparently. She has to know anyway. Why would she ever think he wouldn’t love her the same as her sisters?  
But he thinks about the last few weeks and realizes that neither he nor Jade has spent much time with Alexis on her own recently. Actual time, not the day-to-day life, not like they are together now.  
He drops a kiss on Alexis’ hair before he honestly says: “I don’t think we’ve spent enough time with just you recently, huh? How about we do that this Saturday? Just you, your mommy and me, so we can show you how much we appreciate you.”  
That finally brings a very beautiful smile on Alexis’ face. “I’d love that.”  
“Then, it’s a date,” he promises and drops another kiss on her hair.

He talks to Jade that night and it’s at dinner the next day that they are finally all back together at one table and have time to talk – unlike at breakfast which is always crazy as everyone is trying to get ready.  
After their daughters have talked about their day, Beck raises his voice: “So, your mom and I talked and we want to make a suggestion as we have realized we didn’t come around recently to spend quality time with all of you. Especially each on your own.”  
Jade promptly joins him in telling them about their idea: “That’s why we want to pick certain dates to definitely spend time with you – and not just hanging out on the couch in front of the TV or something.”  
Beck nods and takes over again: “We thought we could use Saturday. If everyone’s okay with it, we would start with Alexis this Saturday.”  
He looks with a smile at their smallest daughter who beams right back at him. Obviously, she doesn’t have a problem with him and her mother expanding the idea of spending some quality time with her to her sisters as well. As they’ve talked about Alexis, they have noticed that they also hasn’t had much opportunities spending time with the older two recently. They both work. Jade is writing and directing for another series, Beck is part of a big movie trilogy which is luckily mostly shot in LA, still... And with the girls also going to school and preschool and having hobbies and friends...  
He continues: “We’ll give the next Saturday to Sophia and the one after that to Melissa. We can use the last Saturday of the month for some family activity before we start the circle again the next month. All Sundays could stay open for the extended family or friends or just relaxing here at home.”  
All three girls actually look happy about that idea. To not just randomly do stuff together but making time specifically and regularly to make sure to be together.  
Jade speaks up again: “You can choose any activity but watch the costs. You know we love spending money on you three but if you choose to want a ride on a rocketship or have a Meet&Greet with the President or something, we can’t do that.”  
“N’aw, too bad. That’s exactly what I wanted to do,” Melissa instantly replies with a small smile.  
Jade smirks at her. “I thought so.”  
“I just wanna get ice cream with you,” Alexis innocently states.  
“That’s sweet,” Beck says, rubbing her back. “Maybe add some shopping or a playground or something and we’ll have a lovely day.”  
He plants a kiss on her temple, knowing that their date with Alexis will definitely be easy to realize. He isn’t so sure what the eight-year-old Sophia will have in mind but she has already narrowed her eyes as if she’s thinking about every little thing she has always wanted to do – and she’s as unpredictable with ideas like that as Jade.  
He continues the thoughts Jade and he had: “You don’t always have to pick something to do with both of us. You can also do something just with your mom or just with me if you want to.”  
Jade nods. “And we don’t always have to do it on Saturday of course, depending on what you want to do. You also have to remember that we don’t always have time. So, if one of you wants to do something with your dad but he’s away shooting, I want everyone to be good about it and possibly change the days around. That if someone wants to do something with just me, we’ll do that that weekend or something. The same goes if one of you wants to go on a birthday of a friend on their Saturday and we can’t manage another day of the week for some reason. Be good about changing your date if possible.”  
She waits for all three of them to nod because this is important to her. It’s always important for her that everyone in the family is considerate of each other. Beck loves it.  
Jade goes on: “Also, the family activity could very well be just you girls and whoever one of us is here with you. But that’s anyway mostly so that you three can also spend some quality time with each other. And it’s us who decide about that activity though we will take into consideration what you want to do.”  
They have to decide on that activity. Their daughters don’t just have such different characters, there’s also a big age gap between them. They won’t have the same ideas about a great day out. But they will try to find something that everyone can enjoy at least a little.  
He thinks about what else is important to mention and finally says: “That also doesn’t mean we don’t want to do anything else with you. We can also go out Saturday and Sunday if everyone is on board but with these set dates we’ll definitely spend quality time with each other.”  
And that’s all, he thinks. And finally, their children have time and room to give their opinions.  
Melissa says with a smile: “I think it’s a great idea.”  
“Me, too,” Sophia agrees and as Beck would’ve bet, she adds: “I’ll already know a thousand things to do on my days.”  
Melissa chuckles. “I can imagine where that will go.”  
Sophia smiles mischievously and Beck shares a look with Jade. Well, they’ll see if that has been a good idea.  
Alexis apparently is still thinking about what she will do on her first date with her parents. “I think we’ll have to go on the playground before we’ll get ice cream. I can’t play when my tummy is too full.”  
Beck can’t help but laugh.  
Jade also smirks but apparently something else crosses her mind and she says: “It’s okay by the way if you choose your dad all the time, I won’t get offended or anything.”  
Of course, she makes sure that the girls don’t have to feel guilty, even if they only want to spend time with one of them. Jade is amazing that way because even if she would probably still deny in front of their friends to have feelings at all herself, she does know about feelings very well.  
Beck has to claim though with a pout: “I will totally be sad if you never choose me.”  
“Don’t be an ass,” Jade promptly tells him.  
Jade never holds back much around their children and of course easily uses bad words in front of them.  
Beck hasn’t been concerned by it at the beginning when Melissa still was very small because she was asleep most of the time anyway. And then it kind of had been too late to get rid of the bad words as Melissa had known them already. It’s okay. He finds that his daughters swear pretty rarely though they all have their moments with it. But they also experience the dirty mouth of their mother that’s surprinsingly clean every time she does interviews or stuff which the girls of course also watch from time to time as Beck always watches them. They do know there are situations where swear words are okay, and others where they aren’t.  
On the other hand, Jade watches her mouth at least a little around the children after all. She doesn’t use the f-bomb around them – not that Beck can remember anyway. She pulls it out for every fight they have when they are alone, and also whenever she describes stuff while the girls aren’t around.  
Their daughters still do know an awful lot of bad words and sometimes Beck is a little sorry when he thinks about all their friends and their friends’ parents. He’s pretty sure, his daughters are the ones who have taught their friends the worst words because it’s just big fun as a child. But well... They would’ve learned them from someone sooner or later.  
The thing that amuses him about this whole swear words business is actually how their own friends are so careful with bad words around their own children while they just let their mouth run around Beck and Jade’s daughters as they know the girls have definitely heard worse things by their own mother.  
He grins now: “I’m sorry. No, absolutely choose whoever you want. I can understand if you want to spend time alone with your mother. After all, I love being alone with your mom as well, very much so.”  
“Oh, god,” Melissa instantly says and... well... he has forgotten once again that they now have a teenager in the house.  
“Sorry again,” he says though he still has to smile. They’ve easily gotten away with saying much more suggestive stuff some time ago as their kids couldn’t understand what they meant or had an idea but weren’t embarrassed by it. But now that Melissa is thirteen they apparently have to watch at least a little what they’re saying in this direction.  
Jade rolls her eyes slightly about both Beck and Melissa, before she leans over and gives Beck a peck on his lips.  
Beck already knows the new planned quality time will be amazing, even if that means he probably rarely get a weekend to truly relax. But their children won’t be this young any longer. They will grow up and go their own ways soon enough. So, they should spend as much time as possible with them. Not to mention that he of course loves it anyway.  
Though he also does love to spend quality time alone with Jade. But possibly, they can get that into their new plan as well. Maybe, they will have the children go to friends or their parents every other Sunday to have time just for each other. To make sure they won’t forget about each other after all. And to be able to truly remind her that he still falls in love with her deeper every day of his life.

~+~ 

Jade sometimes thinks she has become an enormously lame mother. She and Beck allow their children fairly much as they also both know that the more rules they give them, the more they will probably break. Jade has been way more open and easy about her breaking the rules of her parents but Beck has stopped following his parents’ orders as well as soon as he had Jade in his life and his parents didn’t want her there.  
They hope with not having too many rules, their children will at least follow those as long as possible though Jade is sure they will break some of them anyway – especially Sophia, the way it seems right now. Sophia who comes way more after her after all with her eleven years, is wild, explosive and pretty stubborn.  
Melissa is 16 now and has grown even calmer and more patient still and probably would only disobey them if they would make up stupid rules, just like Beck did at that age.  
Alexis is only seven as of now and seems to also luckily come more after Beck in that sense though otherwise she’s still a much more even mix between the two of them.  
But because Sophia is so similiar to her, Jade, they often fight. Whenever they have to forbid her anything, it always seems to end up being Jade’s fault but Jade takes it in her stride. She always shoots back, so of course it’s her fault.  
Today, Sophia has asked them if she could sleep over with three of her friends in one of her friend’s parents’ cottage. Without any supervision. Jade knows how Sophia and those particular friends can be and she knows they won’t be safe without anyone watching over them.  
Therefore, they of course won’t allow it but Sophia tries everything. She already has tried begging like crazy, now she’s ranting and finally, Jade rolls her eyes and interrupts her: “Geeze, stop it already. You won’t change our minds.”  
Sophia of course has also asked Beck on his opinion but he has agreed with Jade. They both don’t try hard to be a united front in front of their children. They think it’s more than fine to bicker about stuff in front of them, even if it’s about something that’s concerning them. They can learn that their parents don’t always agree, that there are different opinions and that you can figure everything out together.  
But luckily, they mostly have the same opinion about what to allow their children and what not to, so of course Beck has agreed with her now.  
Sophia has used her puppy eyes on Beck and her begging but now is back on Jade because the patience of her father makes her more angry in a situation like this – Jade knows that feeling.  
“Caroline already asked her parents and they have allowed it,” Sophia tries, probably her last weapon. That argument has never worked.  
“Well, too bad for you that you haven’t been born into that family,” Jade answers and Sophia glares at her, stomps her foot and says: “I hate you!”  
She whirls around and leaves and Jade calls after her: “Yeah, thanks!” Great that that of course also only has been directed at her though Beck hasn’t allowed it as well.  
Beck comes around the kitchen counter and takes Jade’s hands in his.  
“You know she doesn’t hate you,” he softly says.  
She lets him kiss her before she answers: “I know.” Because she does know. Sophia is her daughter after all.  
“Should I talk to her?” Beck asks. And it often helps if he talks to her. After all, she is similiar to Jade and it also often helps Jade if Beck talks to her.  
But sometimes it also doesn’t help and Jade remembers how Sophia has just been and shakes her head: “Nah. She’ll need some time to herself.” Just like Jade sometimes does. She will calm down soon enough.  
Beck kisses her again and she puts her arms around his neck, pulls him in for yet another kiss, before he says: “She’s a lot like you.”  
It’s not like they haven’t talked about that before.  
“And you love her,” Jade says.  
Beck smiles, obviously amused because he knows what Jade’s getting at. If Sophia and Jade are so similiar and he loves the little girl, that also means: “And I love you.”  
Jade smiles as well and they share another kiss.

It’s later that evening. They haven’t tugged their children in yet but they are all in their own rooms.  
Until now, when Sophia suddenly comes into the living room.  
Beck sees her first, shortly glancing to the TV, then to her parents, then to her feet, and he gives Jade a kiss on her cheek, mutters something about going to the bathroom, before he pulls away from her and leaves the room.  
Jade has sat in Beck’s arm on the couch and now leans against it instead as she watches Sophia who obviously wants to say something as she steps closer to her.  
And there it is, quickly: “I love you, Mom.”  
Jade can reach her now and promptly does take her by her arm and pulls her closer as she answers: “I know you do. I love you, too.”  
“I don’t know why I said what I said,” Sophia says, still not looking at her but down to the floor.  
Jade slightly shakes her head: “It’s okay. You were angry. It’s awful that I’m allowed to decide over you. I told my mother much worse things when I was angry, to be honest.” She has which is why Sophia’s words may hurt from time to time but she takes them knowing she doesn’t mean them. She herself loves her mother to death, despite everything she might have told her as a child and teenager.  
Now, Sophia finally looks up into her eyes as she carefully says: “Grandma still loves you.”  
And she knows what Sophia’s getting at. Because she did such a similiar if not the same thing with Beck earlier.  
She strokes her daughter’s cheek with her thumb as she says: “And I will forever love you. You, your sisters and your father are everything to me.”  
She loves the smile that goes over her daughter’s face at that and she kisses her as she pulls her into a close hug.  
Beck comes back only a few seconds after that when they still hug.  
“Did I miss something?” he asks innocently as he sits down next to them.  
Sophia doesn’t pull away from Jade, instead almost sits down on her lap as she turns her head into Beck’s direction to look at him. “Yes. A very beautiful mother-daughter-moment.”  
“Tell me all about it,” Beck says.  
“No,” Jade and Sophia both answers and Beck laughs as he puts his arm around Jade, pulls her closer to him and gives her a kiss on her temple.


	14. Boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Well, here comes the second to last chapter. I think this would also make a good last chapter but I'm still not finished with my last few ideas and I want to wrap this up soon, so here comes this. I will hopefully be able to upload the last one at the end of the week - then I will start publishing another short Bade fic (not future) which I'm also working on at the moment.  
> But yes. I wish you much fun with the one shot that chronically is the last of the Oliver-West-family by me. :)

Melissa Oliver-West is possibly the most beautiful girl, Kyle has ever lied his eyes on. He feels more than blessed that she is actually his girlfriend.  
And of course it’s not only the looks. That has been the reason he has wanted to go out with her at first, sure, but Melissa is great all around. He loves how calm she is, how she just keeps a cool head while everyone else would stress out, how she’s just cool and relaxed all the time. He loves the way she laughs at his jokes and how she looks at him smiling when he tells her a story.  
They are together now for about three weeks when he finally is supposed to meet her parents. They go to school together and spend most of their time there together. On weekends, they mostly go out. She has been to her place by now and now it’s finally time for him to go to her place.  
They have met up in the morning of this Sunday to go to the mall together. She has already waited for him outside of her house when he has picked her up and he’s now driving them back to her house.  
“Don’t be nervous,” Melissa says after they just drove in silence for a long while.  
Of course, she has noticed that he’s nervous. He hasn’t told her at any point but as he glances to her now, he sees her piercing look on him with which she’s always able to read him completely.  
“I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s just... Meeting your girlfriend’s parents... I mean... Your father seems nice in interviews but you are his daughter.”  
His ex-girlfriend has been a big fan of Beck’s which is why he knows several movies he has starred in and has watched several interviews whenever his ex-girlfriend wanted to watch some. It’s weird, he’s now dating the daughter of the actor.  
They are in LA, so practically everyone knows a celebrity personally in one way or another and there are a few people in their school who are related to a celebrity. So that’s not totally weird. But to kind of know the celebrity in his job and now dating his daughter... he finds that weird.  
And yes, Beck has seemed nice but Melissa is his 17-year-old daughter and Kyle knows how the father of his ex-girlfriend has been.  
He sees Melissa drawing her eyebrows together and asking almost amused: “You’re nervous because of my dad?”  
“Yeah. Why?” he asks. What or who else should he be nervous about?  
“Have you ever seen my mom on TV or somthing?”  
Not that he knows of, so he answers: “I don’t think so. Why?”  
“It’s just that...” Melissa says and actually sounds like she’s holding back her laughter. “She has this attitude and usually, people would be more scared of her than my dad. I just assumed you are also a little scared of her and nervous because of that.”  
“Oh, my god,” Kyle says. Honestly? Is he supposed to be scared of her mother?  
Melissa takes his right hand in her own. “I’m not saying you should be scared,” she already says. “They both are just happy that I’m happy.”  
But her mother has some attitude that scares people and her father is her father and naturally protective over her.  
“I’m actually really afraid now,” he confesses.  
“Don’t be,” Melissa says, squeezing his hand. “I mean... Sure, if you would hurt me, both of them would probably get really bad ideas but they would probably keep each other from killing you.”  
“What?” Kyle asks and is glad that he has just now stopped at a red light so he didn’t just drive into someone because of the shock.  
Melissa is already laughing. “I’m joking. Don’t worry. They are protective of me and my sisters, sure. But not one of them will hurt you. Ever.”  
He doesn’t feel all that soothed but it also doesn’t take three more minutes when he already pulls in their driveway.

Kyle already hears them talking in the living area when they step into the house. She leaves her shopping bags in the entryway before they walk further into the house and finally can see living room and kitchen.  
The whole rest of the family is already there. Her parents are both standing close to the stove while her sisters set the table. All of them have dark hair and as soon as all of them turn to look at them, Kyle notices her mother’s blue-green eyes. Well, that’s where Melissa has gotten hers from. Meanwhile the rest of the family has dark brown eyes.  
“You’re late,” one of her sisters says who must be the older one of the two, therefore about twelve years old now and named Sophia.  
“We’re pretty much exactly on time,” Melissa answers calmly as she walks even closer up to her family, Kyle following her.  
The eight-year-old Alexis tilts her head. “So, you’re Kyle?”  
“I am,” he hastily answers. “Hello, everyone.”  
He waves awkwardly, and that’s when her father steps forward with a smile, offering his hand Kyle shakes: “Hello. I’m Melissa’s father, Beck.”  
Her mother also shakes his hand. “Jade.” And Kyle gets why Melissa assumed he would be scared of her. Just with the way she looks him up and down now, he feels like he does everything wrong and this woman could hate him for it.  
He swallows and is almost glad when she turns away again. Instead, Alexis also decides to shake his hand after her parents have done it: “I’m Alexis. You can call me Lexi though.”  
Well, Alexis seems adorable. She and Melissa’s father both seem very easy-going, much like Melissa actually.  
Sophia meanwhile seems bored as she also follows her parents’ lead, shakes his hand and says: “Sophia.”  
He wants to tell them that it’s nice to meet them when Beck already says: “It’s true that you’re axactly on time. Lunch is ready.”  
He and Jade put the food on the table and they all sit down. Kyle ends up sitting between Alexis and Melissa and as everyone starts eating, Jade raises her voice again: “So, Kyle. How long are you two dating now?”  
Kyle hastily swallows the food he has just put into his mouth and wants to answer when Melissa says: “I already told you that.”  
She doesn’t sound in any way angry or anything over it, it’s just a calm statement. And it almost looks as if Jade has counted on Melissa interrupting. She shrugs. “Oh, I just want to hear his answers to see if his and yours match or if he made you a lier or lies himself for some reason.”  
And suddenly, she looks back at him with narrowed eyes which gives him the shivers. He’s sure he will fail this test somehow though he doesn’t plan on lying and doesn’t know why Melissa should have lied about anything.  
Beck suddenly chuckles though and grabs Jade’s hand that lies on the table. “Don’t scare him, Jade.”  
“She’s joking,” Melissa points out, actually also reaching for Kyle’s hand on the table.  
Jade may smirk but otherwise doesn’t look as if she has been joking and Kyle isn’t sure if he is supposed to answer her question after all when Alexis suddenly raises her voice: “I have a real question: How many sibling do you have?”  
“Oh,” Kyle instantly answers, “two, actually. Two brothers.”  
Alexis looks delighted. He and Melissa already have been amused about that as well – how he grew up with two brother and she with two sisters.  
“Really? Are they our age?” Alexis asks and Kyle smiles: “No, they are both older than me. I’m the youngest like you.”  
Alexis nods wisely. “That’s tough, huh?”  
Kyle can’t help but laugh about the serious face she pulls at that. Her father and Melissa laugh as well though.  
Jade also seems amused and Kyle already notices Sophia looking her parents up and down before she starts saying in a too casual tone: “By the way, I talked to Caroline...”  
Jade’s face changes from the smile to a slightly annoyed face. “No,” she already cuts through her daughter’s words.  
Kyle doesn’t know what’s happening. But Sophia instantly looks angry: “Are you serious?”  
It’s almost as if she has waited to talk about some topic when her parents were relaxed and laughing to not hear an instant no. But obviously that has been of no use.  
“I know what you’re going to say,” Jade says but Sophia shakes her head defiantely: “You don’t.”  
Kyle is a little uncomfortable by now. This could very well turn into a real fight – with him sitting at the same table as them. He checks the rest of the family but nobody seems like they want to interrupt. They also don’t look like they themselves feel uncomfortable.  
“Oh, don’t I?” Jade says. “You want to try persuading us again to let you go to that event.”  
Kyle doesn’t know Sophia but he’s sure to see in her face that her mother is right. She opens her mouth for a second, closes it again and then starts: “Lina’s parents...”  
“Phee, we’ve been through this,” Jade cuts through again.  
Sophia bangs her hands on the table angrily as she stands up. “You don’t even let me say anything!”  
And she stomps off, leaving the living area all together.  
Jade rolls her eyes before she also stands up and follows her and she is just gone when Beck turns to Kyle with a smile: “I’m sorry you’ve had to witness that.”  
Kyle hurries to say: “Don’t worry. It’s fine. Which family doesn’t fight?” Well, his parents have never fought in front of everyone else, not among themselves or with any of their children. And they have reprimanded him and his brothers every time they have fought when they weren’t alone. Obviously, noone in this family has cared much about him being there.  
“That’s true,” Beck says, looking into the direction his wife and second daughter has gone in, then he suddenly looks at Melissa: “Anyway... How much did you buy today?”  
Melissa promptly grins. “A lot. But I told you I needed new jeans.”  
“You did tell us that,” Beck confirms, amused. “Is it only jeans though?”  
“Not exactly,” Melissa answers with an almost cheeky grin and Kyle also has to smile. It’s certainly not just jeans.  
Now, Alexis talks again: “I also wanna buy new clothes.”  
She looks at her father at that who returns the look: “What do you need?”  
The girl shrugs and Melissa reminds her, still amused: “You don’t even like going shopping. You always say it takes too long.”  
Alexis shrugs again and Beck assures her: “I’m sure we can go do that within the next few days.”  
Alexis looks happy about that and it’s the same moment, Sophia and Jade come back. Sophia doesn’t look remotely angry anymore. She even hums satisfied as Beck asks: “Everything alright again?”  
Sophia sits back down and Jade does as well while she leans into Beck. Kyle is sure they’re going for a kiss but Melissa coughs ever so slightly next to him and they pull apart without their lips having met, though Jade rolls her eyes.  
Lunch doesn’t take much longer. Alexis gets into some story Melissa comments on, then they’re all free to go again.  
Melissa leads Kyle upstairs and directly to her bedroom. They put the shopping bags down and he’s still taking in the room which is quite big and well decorated and holds a guitar though Kyle hasn’t known until now that Melissa plays, when Melissa finally closes the bedroom door.  
“Oh, is this okay with your parents?” he directly asks. His parents don’t allow him to close the door when he’s home with a girl. Which is ridiculous because they are seventeen and if they want to do something, they will find a way, closed doors or not.  
Melissa smiles as if amused about the question alone. “Yes. They trust me to make my own decisions.”  
“Are you sure?” he asks. Because he definitely doesn’t want to make her parents angry – especially her mother.  
“Yes,” Melissa nods as she takes the last steps to him and wraps her arms around him. “Everything else would be a double standard as they apparently insisted on being behind closed doors since they were fifteen or something – and were allowed to.”  
And with that her lips are on his and it doesn’t take much more for him to forget about her parents that could very well stand directly in front of the door.

They make out for a while but then also start talking and talk all the way through until he has to leave.  
He doesn’t have to fully go into the living area to get from the stairs to the front door. But he does go inside of it to say good-bye to her family to be polite.  
Her sisters aren’t there, her parents are though. Her mother leans against the kitchen counter, her arms wrapped around Beck’s neck. Beck stands directly in front of her, holds her as well and they are lost into a deep kiss and don’t even notice them coming in.  
He feels like he should just turn around and leave and never mention this but Melissa already coughs slightly again next to him and Beck and Jade break apart and look into their direction. They don’t fully break apart though. They still hold each other close.  
“We’re sorry,” Beck says but doesn’t look even remotely flustered because of the situation – unlike Kyle probably.  
Jade smirks. “And I thought we would walk in on you making out somewhere.”  
“Mom!” Melissa says warningly and Jade rolls her eyes again but finally, she and Beck move apart from each other.  
Beck asks: “You’re leaving now?”  
“Yes,” Kyle answers.  
Beck nods: “Well, it was great to meet you. You’re always welcome here.” It sounds earnest.  
“Thank you,” Kyle answers. “It was also great to meet you. Bye.”  
“Bye,” both answer and Kyle turns and leaves.  
Melissa steps out of the house with him and pulls the front door close. “I’m sorry for them,” she instantly says.  
Kyle shakes his head. “Don’t worry. It was a little awkward but... I mean... it’s great that they still love each other like that.” He could never walk in on his parents making out because he’s sure they never do that anymore. He does think his parents love each other but... he also thinks they love each other like family just does. Not like a couple exactly.  
He knows a lot of married couples that are like that over the years. Beck and Jade must also be together for at least eighteen years with Melissa being seventeen and it’s great if they still want to make out – as awkward as he feels about that.  
But it looks a little like he has said something wrong, judging by Melissa’s face. “What?” he asks.  
Melissa shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong. I love that they love each other but to be honest... seeing them together sometimes makes me wonder if I ever will get that lucky. If I will ever find that person for me, you know? I mean... They already fell in love with each other when they were fourteen.”  
She wants to say more but he has to interrupt: “They are together since they were fourteen?”  
Melissa nods. “Yes. Apparently, they broke up every now and then as teenagers but still.”  
He’s stunned. And suddenly, he remembers Melissa saying that her parents insisted of being behind closed doors since they have been fifteen. He hasn’t thought much about it but if this is all true, they obviously insisted being behind closed doors with each other already at that age.  
And they still love each other in that way. That is amazing.  
“And I know that’s rare,” Melissa continues, “and I know like a thousand people that found love much later in life and it’s also stupid to think about stuff like that at our age but...” She shrugs again. “I haven’t found my great love with fourteen and it makes me wonder sometimes if I ever will. I know that’s stupid.”  
She does look slightly embarrassed by it but he can imagine that it must be weird. Knowing your parents have met so early in life, have been together for so long and seeing that they are still successful in their relationship. It must be hard in a way if you don’t find someone as early then, even if barely anyone does.  
“Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s stupid,” he therefore says, take sher hands in his own. “And I’m sure you’ll find someone.”  
How couldn’t she? This wonderful and amazing girl.  
She smiles her beautiful smile and they share a kiss and he has to say it. The words he already feels clearly for a few days, possibly has felt at first sight in a sense. They now come over his lips so easily:, for the first time “I love you.”  
Her smile gets even brighter and more beautiful as she answers: “I love you, too.”  
It feels incredible to hear those words oout of her mouth and they instantly get lost in another deep kiss.

Inside of the house, Beck and Jade are making out again against the kitchen counter.  
“She will come back any second now,” Jade whispers between two kisses.  
“So?” Beck asks and Jade answers: “So, she’d just love to walk in on us making out again.”  
They have promised her to not kiss too much while her boyfriend is visiting for the first time. They’re seventeen and apparently that’s awkward for them. Jade knows their daughters otherwise don’t have a problem with finding them like this but having just made out in front of her new boyfriend... She’s sure Melissa won’t be happy to find them like this again.  
“She’s our daughter,” Beck says, another kiss, then: “This was how she was made.”  
Gosh, sometimes, Beck is such a... dad.  
“Ugh. Never tell her that,” Jade warns him. They kiss again before she breathes: “And I think that was more than making out.”  
“I also seem to remember more,” Beck says with a smile before they get lost in an even deeper kiss.  
“I love you, Jade,” Beck whispers after another while and of course, she has to answer: “I know.” And even quieter, after another kiss: “I love you, too.”


	15. Four final snippets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here comes the last chapter!  
> For this, there are four very short one shots, the first one takes place during Jade's first pregnany, the others some time after that. In the first or second sentence the age of at least one of their children is mentioned, so you'll know.  
> Well, and yeah. That's it then. That's my future!Bade fic. I want to thank everyone for reading and for giving kudos!  
> I hope you have enjoyed reading this collection. I definitely wish you fun with this. :)

Beck never shows much of his worries. It’s not like he doesn’t necessarily want anyone to know. He just isn’t one to pull a face or something. He just looks like usual.  
For some reason, she knows anyway every time. She knows when he’s worrying, even if it doesn’t show in his face.  
She’s just now stepping back into the bedroom after having been to the bathroom to make herself ready for bed. He already lies in bed and stares at the ceiling. And he could just be thinking about what he has to do tomorrow. But she knows he’s worrying about something.  
“What’s going on?” she asks, not with a necessarily concerned voice, more harshly because it goes way easier over her lips that way.  
While she lies down next to him, he turns to her and tries a smile. “I’m happy that we’re expecting a child.”  
They have been to the doctor today and got their first ultrasound. They have actually seen the baby’s heart beating quickly inside of her – and also heard it. Which is crazy.  
And she knows Beck is happy about the child. They have both wanted it after all. But he’s worrying about something. Something with the baby?  
“But?” she asks because he can’t leave it at that.  
For a moment, he just looks at her as if he doesn’t know if he should say something at all. As if he’s afraid she will get angry with him because he’s worrying, and they will end up fighting.  
But he obviously realizes she will definitely get angry if he won’t say anything now, so he says: “But I’m afraid after all. Like... What if I can’t keep any job, can’t provide for you and the child and we can’t live in a nice apartment like this anymore and can’t...” He shrugs helplessly.  
They have talked about their concerns before she has gotten pregnant. They have talked about what having a child means, what would change and what absolutely couldn’t. Money has never been a concern they have talked about. The only time they have talked about their jobs has been when they have promised each other to still both try to follow their dreams in their careers but having to make time for their family as well, how they would have to be honest with any time issue and with any stress.  
She also doesn’t worry about money in the slightest now. “If that happens...” she instead says. “Even if we won’t have a nice apartment like this... I slept in your stupid RV for years and don’t believe I did that because I thought it was so nice and big and comfy.”  
That makes him smile. He knows that she liked his RV. He has to know that it wasn’t because she actually liked it but because she liked being alone with Beck in there, without anyone being able to disturb them. Because she wanted to be close to him.  
“And besides that,” she continues, “I’m sure our parents will help out if we really need them to.” A thought she doesn’t like. She hates asking anyone for help. But if they both would get ill or something and couldn’t work any job, of course she would ask for help for Beck’s and their baby’s sake.  
And she keeps going: “You know that I was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs from time to time to make everything possible for my brother and me. I know how to take care of me and my child on my own because I’ve seen how it’s done. I don’t need a man to provide for me. Just...”  
She looks into Beck’s eyes, her husband that has been her first and only boyfriend, her first and only love.  
“Stay and be there for the child. And for me.” Because that’s what she needs. She wouldn’t care if he would never work again. She can work. She can pay their bills somehow, even if she would have to give up on her dreams to do it. She just needs him to be there.  
Beck smiles at her in that way as if she had just said something beautiful and extremely loving which she hasn’t really because it’s just the truth.  
“I love you, Jade, “ he whispers and their lips meet.  
She breathes back: “I love you, too.”

 

Melissa is four when she has bought her first mother’s day present.  
They have made a small booklet with pictures they have drawn in preschool but the little girl insisted on also buying something for her mother. Well, she hasn’t exactly bought it herself. But Beck has taken her to the store and she has picked out the present which Beck has then payed for.  
Now, the little girl holds the wrapped up present close to her chest while she and Beck step into the bedroom. Beck holds a tray with breakfast, coffee and a bouquet of black roses and balances it over to the nightstand.  
Jade lies in bed, still fast asleep but not for too long anymore.  
“Can I wake her up?” Melissa asks Beck in a whisper. He nods and she climbs up the bed and gently starts shaking her mother: “Mommy. Wake up. You get breakfast in bed.”  
Jade makes a noise as she turns her face further into the pillow. She has never been a morning person and it’s still quite early. Melissa has already stood in their bedroom an hour ago though she doesn’t even have to go to preschool today and her parents also don’t have to go to work.  
He has tried to take as long as possible making breakfast, so Jade would have some more time to sleep but Melissa has grown impatient and in the end, Jade has to wake up some time.  
“Mommy! Don’t go back to sleep. It’s mother’s day!”  
Jade makes another noise and for a second, Beck is sure she won’t wake up but then she opens her eyes and glances at the clock. She groans: “It’s too early.”  
“But it’s mother’s day. We have presents,” Melissa says excitedely.  
Jade pulls the girl down to her, into a lying position and into a hug. “Presents, huh?” she asks, still sleepily.  
Beck sits down on the bed as well as Melissa kisses her mother’s cheek. “Presents, Mommy. Come on. You have to get up and open them.”  
Jade closes her eyes for another second and Beck almost wishes to be their little girl, to be in that close hug in their bed with Jade, in her warm and safe arms that seem even warmer and safer now with her pregnant belly again. But well... He is in her arms most mornings, so...  
And now, Jade finally does sit up, Melissa joining her.  
“Good morning,” Beck says with a smile.  
Jade claims to not like these happy morning greetings and therefore naturally rolls her eyes but then leans forward to shortly kiss him.  
“Here, Mommy,” Melissa says, giving Jade her present.  
Beck says: “I want you to know that Lizzy picked out this present entirely on her own.” Because Jade just has to know that Melissa thought of this on her own. It will make her even happier, he knows.  
Melissa nods proudly and Jade gently strokes her hair as she says: “Well... Let’s see what it is.”  
She opens it and the softest smile goes over her face as she see what her gift actually is. “Scissors.”  
Melissa has asked him to drive her to a store with real scissors to get real sharp ones her mother would love. She has long known about her mother’s obsession with scissors. They have some in a glass cabinet in their bed room, actually most of Jade’s collection, so Melissa can’t lie her hands on them too easily. But somehow, there’s always a scissor around. Beck isn’t always sure where Jade stores them – luckily, Melissa also rarely finds them.  
And it happens that Jade just suddenly has some in her hands and cuts stuff up, mostly paper. Especially if she thinks about something, if she writes or composes something but doesn’t know how to proceed.  
He’s somehow happy that Melissa doesn’t imitate Jade in that sense. And they have explained to the little girl that for Jade the scissors are like her stuffed animals, just that they aren’t toys. To which Melissa has very earnestly answered that her stuffed animals aren’t toys as well.  
“Do you like them?” Melissa promptly asks, biting her lips as she looks eagerly up into her mother’s face.  
“I do,” Jade answers, looking them up and down, then her eyes wander to Melissa, smiling. “I love them. Do you know what I love most about them?”  
Melissa tilts her head, looking at the scissors herself. “That they are black and have those pointy things on them?”  
Jade shakes her head. “No. That you picked them out for me and gave them to me for a present.”  
And she pulls Melissa into a close hug. Beck knows that this pair of scissors will get one of the best places in their cabinet. They aren’t small enough to just keep them anywhere, so she will put them right in the middle of the cabinet for her to see every time she looks in the direction.  
With a smile, he opens the drawer of Jade’s nightstand where he knows to find another scissor which he gives her as soon as she and Melissa break apart. She opens the wrapping of her new scissors with them before she returns them to Beck who puts them back where they came from.  
Then he says: “You may not be my mother but I’ve also got you something.”  
He takes up the bouquet of black roses and holds it out for her. “These beautiful black roses you can test your new scissors on.”  
He has found out by now that she does love getting flowers – but only if she gets them to cut them up. Sometimes, he asks himself if that’s good for Melissa to see, her mother cutting up flowers, on the other hand the flowers are already dead when you give them to someone as a bouquet, so he guesses it doesn’t teach Melissa anything too bad.  
Jade smiles lovingly at him as if he has just told her he loved her with the most beautiful words.  
She takes the flowers and turns to their daughter again: “What do you say, Lizzy? Wanna make the first cut?”  
Melissa nods and Jade pulls her up her lap and holds scissors and bouquet around her in front of both of them.  
Beck meanwhile gets the big plastic bag he has also brought from under the tray and puts it down in front of Melissa over Jade as he says: “I’ll put this down though, so you don’t make a too big of a mess.”  
“Ugh,” Jade says as if annoyed that she’s not allowed to make a mess in their bed, though he knows she also wouldn’t want to clean it up or actually have it that messy.  
Then she turns to Melissa again, carefully puts the scissors in her small hands. “Watch your fingers, yeah?” she says and leads her hand to to the bouquet she herself is still holding.  
Melissa cuts of one of the roses and Jade asks: “And? Are they good?”  
Melissa nods happily. “You’ll love them.”  
She gives the scissors back to Jade who drops a kiss on her head and says: “Okay. Hold your hands close to your body, sweetie.”  
Melissa obeys, presses her hands against her chest and promptly, Jade starts to cut up the bouquet viciously in a way that makes Melissa laugh.  
It takes a while and Jade makes sure to have cut every little blossom and leave.  
“They are great,” Jade says and drops another kiss on Melissa’s head as Beck takes the pathetic rest of the bouquet out of her hand, also lets it fall onto the plastic bag, crumples it all up and puts it down next to the bed.  
Then, he also takes the scissors out of her hand, puts them down on the tray and gives her the coffee instead and takes his own.  
“Well, we’ve also brought breakfast,” he says meanwhile as Melissa reaches for her own glass of orange juice.  
He now sits down next to Jade, also leans against the headboard.  
She smiles. “This is how every morning should start.”  
He couldn’t agree more as he sits there with in his bed with his wife and daughter, Jade so enormously relaxed and happy with such a good start into mother’s day.  
As they share a long, slow and loving kiss, he wishes every day could start like this.

 

Jade has had a photoshoot with some of her photos now being in a magazine.  
Beck has picked up a copy of that issue of the magazine which came out today on his way back from dropping the eight-year-old Melissa off with a friend. The three-year-old Sophia has been with him and is now also sitting next to him on the couch and looks into the magazine with him.  
She is on three pages and Beck almost can’t turn to the last one because he is mesmorized by the photos on the first two. She is just so beautiful and sexy at the same time and perfect and he can’t believe this is his incredibly attractive wife.  
“Mommy’s beautiful,” Sophia also says as they finally look at the last picture.  
Beck can’t help but smile. “She is, huh?”  
Sophia nods, running her fingers over the picture before she tentatively asks: “Do you think I will be as beautiful some day?”  
Beck already has his arm around the little girl and now pulls her closer. “Some day? What do you mean? You already are the most beautiful three-year-old I know.”  
Sophia looks up to him, scrunching her nose adorably. “But not like that.”  
She indicates the magazine and Sophia sure enough hasn’t got photos like that yet. She also shouldn’t because she is a little girl, not a grown woman. She isn’t supposed to look like that, with a dress like that, with that much make-up. Also... It’s a photo and of course a lot is done with lighting, not to mention photoshop. There’s always something they change, even if Beck knows it’s never much with Jade – and it shouldn’t be anything.  
And he never wants his daughter to have any kind of complex. “You know that people helped Mommy to look like that, right?” he makes sure.  
Sophia looks back in the magazine and shrugs. “But she’s always that beautiful.”  
Well, and she’s definitely right there. These photos are something special but Beck himself considers Jade even more beautiful when she’s fast asleep next to him or when she smiles after he tells her he loves her, no matter what she wears or how her hair is styled.  
“I know,” he therefore says, glancing into the magazine and then at Sophia again. “And you are, too.” Because his little girl is beautiful. “And even if you weren’t... You know that being beautiful isn’t the most important thing in life, right?”  
Sophia tilts her head as she looks up to him again. “What is?” It’s such an innocent question. She honestly wonders what’s the most important thing in life. She doesn’t know. Who does?  
Beck thinks about what he wants his daughter to know, to value in life as he answers: “Being who you are. Caring about things, never forgetting how to love and making smart choices. Having dreams and working hard.”  
He shrugs and thinks about more when Sophia already says. “All that is easy.”  
He chuckles. His sweet, confident Sophia. “If it is for you, you will have a very successful life.” A successful private and professional life.  
Sophia seems satisfied about that. “I’d like that.”  
Beck drops a kiss on her head. He would definitely like that as well. For her and for Melissa.  
In the end, it is Sophia who is the only one out of their three daughters who persues arts and actually becomes a rock star. Twenty years later, she has pictures just like Jade in magazines all over the world.

 

They are lying on the couch together. It has been a long day, the fourth birthday of their third little girl and they of course have had to have a party. Now, Alexis is finally asleep, which hasn’t been so difficult, exhausted as she has been. Sophia has also gone to bed and Melissa is up in her room and Beck and Jade can finally relax and have time on their own.  
They have turned off the TV a few minutes ago as there hasn’t been a good program and they have mostly been absorbed with each other anyway.  
Now, Beck suddenly says: “I wonder what’s the next big step in our family life.”  
Oh, and he definitely knows that Jade doesn’t like people just randomly saying something without context and without explaining. She has to say it: “Sometimes, you annoy me so much, Beck.”  
Beck chuckles before he does explain his random statement: “I’m just saying. We’ve been together for three years, then got engaged. After two years engegament, we got married. We were married for three years, then we had Melissa. Five years after that, we had Sophia. And another four years later, we had Alexis. Alexis is now four and I’m expecting something big to happen again.”  
She has never thought about the time gaps before every of their life changing family events. But she’s sure those time gaps, between two to five years are pretty natural for every family between important events.  
But if Beck wants it to continue... They won’t have another child, they agree on that. So... “Well, if you’re in luck, Melissa is pregnant.”  
With Melissa only being thirteen years old, of course Beck’s reaction is to laugh and say: “God, no.”  
She smirks before she makes clear: “We won’t renew our vows. That’s cheesy.”  
“I know,” Beck answers and then, obviously teasing: “Maybe another child?”  
She snorts. “If medicine allows you to give birth, sure.” Though the births haven’t been all that bad. She’s sure she is one of those women who had it extremely easy and that most have much worse pain. And she’s also sure she wouldn’t want another child, even if Beck could have it.  
She suggests: “We could also divorce, then get back together in two years or something and get married again a few years later.”  
Of course, she isn’t serious about that. Beck knows that and still answers earnestly: “I wouldn’t like that at all.”  
Jade smirks as she looks up to him and they share a short kiss before Jade reminds him: “You forgot by the way that we first dated for five months.” And them starting to date is definitely another important event.  
“Right,” Beck says and smiles: “We really slowed down with our life changing events after that.”  
Jade thinks back to that time before she notices: “We haven’t done anything for our family within the first fourteen years of our lives, though. So, maybe now nothing will happen as well for fourteen years.”  
Beck looks as if that’s something to really think about, to really consider. “Well, and then there could be grandchildren.”  
Jade shudders slightly. “Gosh. I don’t want to be a grandmother.” She’s only 36 years old. She feels way too young to even think about grandchildren. The thought that her little girls actually easily could all get pregnant themselves in 14 years... That Melissa might already have a child on her own before that... It weirds her out.  
Beck pulls her up and into another kiss. “You’ll be the sexiest grandmother ever.”  
“We’ll see,” Jade answers though she hopes she will be, at least for Beck.  
Beck kisses her another time, then: “I’m just glad that I will spend these next fourteen years with you, not without you like the first fourteen years.”  
“Sometimes, you’re so cheesy,” Jade says and Beck smiles: “You love it.”  
“I don’t,” Jade claims though she may love it.  
She leans down again, kisses him another time.  
It’s only thirteen years later that they become grandparents. And they’re still just as in love.


End file.
